314 icnldoseixng Last year’s book theme, ‘Molding a Masterpiece,’ came to me before I even applied for the editor-in-chief position. This year however, I had editor’s block and could not think of anything profound for the theme of my last book as a Petit Jean staffer. Not until May, during the start of the 2008 graduation ceremony, did anything strike me. All in attendance of the graduation were asked to stand and sing Harding’s alma mater, and a girl down the row from me said something to the effect of, “I’m glad they printed the words in the program because I never learned them.” It hit me as strange that in the four plus years that students attend Harding, someone could still not know the school’s alma mater. And then all around me, others were stumbling through the verses; laughing with one another about how funny it was that they didn’t even know we had an alma mater, and what was a ‘foothill’ anyway? I then thought back to the first day I learned this song. I had been on campus a mere three hours before I was whisked away to choir camp where one of the first things we learned was the alma mater. Being at Camp Tahkodah, surrounded by mountains, trees and rivers, I truly felt a connection with the words “Near the Foothills.” But if I had not been in choir or had decided that sleeping in a cabin with people I didn’t know was uncomfortable and had skipped the retreat, would I have ever learned all three verses of the alma mater? Probably not. So there in the middle of graduation, I decided that the 2008-2009 Petit Jean yearbook would be a sort of history book of Harding, complete with old pictures of campus, interesting facts about buildings, the faculty and social clubs, and even include the words to the alma mater. I wanted students to come away and have some knowledge about the school and the town they lived in for four or more years of their lives. “Near the Foothills,” the theme of this book, is a tribute to those who created Harding’s unique traditions and paved the way for students for generations to come to be able to worship, be educated and create memories on a beautiful campus in Arkansas. By the time I pulled my white tassel from right to left and shook Dr. Burk’s hand for the second time ever in my Harding career, I was excited to learn a bit about Harding’s history to relate to future generations of Bisons. Through these pages, I hope readers not only learn a little more about Harding, but also about the reasons for the traditions we participate in and how they bring us all together. No matter what major, political party, social club or even beliefs, Harding has a way of encapsulating us all in God’s love. Katie Ramirez, editor in chief Near the foothills editor’s note
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==