Blyan Burks passes 10 his fathe,~ Dr. David Burks, Bryan 's son, Weston, the newest member of the Burks family. Dr. Burks has made a tradition of having his grandchildren, when they are only a few weeks old, help him make announcements during chapel. Photo by Kristi Burns. Chancellor Ganus nflects on campus traditions past and present Traditions play a big part in eve ryday life at Harding. Some traditions still exist that began when Harding did in 1924, and some are more recent. Chancellor Cliff Ganus has been a part of Harding's traditions since he came as a student in 1939 . He has many memories of past and present traditions concerning dress, dating, clubs, academics, sports and many other areas. Many students complain about the current dating situation at Harding, but when Ganus was astudent, dating was nO[ commonplace. Couples were always permitted to attend church servi ces, but they cou ld not sit together. On Sunday afternoons, guys could walk with girls from 3 to 5 p.m. on campus. [fthey walked offcampus, they had to be with 3 to 5 othe r couples, and certain areas were not permitted, like the north side and the other side of Race Street, known to students as "the Cedars." Every other Saturday night, guys could go to Pattie Cobb with a date from 7 to 9 p.m. "We would play Rook or other games. \VIe were not permitted to p lay with spot cards because it was too much like gambling," Ganus said. Students cou ld go to the movies once a week. The Ri al to was the only theater then, and the administration decided which show was the best for students. Since guys and girls could nO[ ride in the same car without special permission , the guys would meet at Pattie Cobb and wait for the girls to come down. They would all wa lk to the theater, wi th at least one faculty member serving as a chaperone. "I remember some of the chaperones carried fl ashlights and shone them on the students, making sure that their behavior was proper," Ganus said. Another big tradit ion was Thanksgiving. Now, students have a week off. When Ganus was a student, no one went home because they had classes on Wednesday and Friday. Marshall Keeble was a well-known black preacher who spoke every Thanksgiving. "When [ was here , Thanksgivi ng was a big day. We had dinner on the grounds in the area of what is now Graduate Dorm. People came from all over the country because lectureshipswere that week. It was very specia l," Ganus said. Singing was one of the biggest traditions when Ganus was a student. Their motto was "at Harding we sing." \Vhile studentswaited in line at the cafeteria in Pattie Cobb, they sa ng. "We enjoyed s inging. [t didn 't take much to get a crowd together to sing. After coming back from outings, we would start singing the alma mater as we gO[ back in town. The singing is good now, but not like it used to be," Ganus said. Chapel has been a continuing tradition. Students were formerly seated alphabetica lly. "[ remember Joe and Rosabe ll e Cannon. They met in chapel because of the seating Dr. CliffGanusJormerHarding student andcurrent chancellor, listens to the message being given in chapel. Although some of the regulations have changed, chapel has remained a lasting tradition on this campus. Photo by Krisli Bums. arrangements, and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaty last year. They were chosen as Ha rding's outstanding alumni cou ple of the year this year, " Ganus said. The beauty of Hard ing's campus has also been a long-standing tradition. "The beauty ofth is campus has stayed the same because people treat the campus with respect. I've seen other campuses look bad. [f one student dumps trash everywhere, then everybody does. At Harding, the students treat the campus well ," Ganus said. From Ganus' time as a student to the present day and into the future , tradition has a lways been and continues to be an important part of Harding. - Heath Dawson Academics 43 IiiIl
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