LETTER from the EDITOR S itting in chapel on Jan. 26, 2018, I heard Dr. NathanGuy, assistant professor in the College of Bible and Ministry, say the word "narrative." I do not know why this particular moment was so significant. I heard the word a countless number of times before this day. In preparing to apply to be the editor-in-chief of the 95th volume of the Petit Jean yearbook, I sought for a theme to authentically encapsulate our yearbook. I have been on the Petit Jean yearbook staff since my first day at Harding. I do not know what it is like to be a student at Harding and not have a home in the Student Publications office. I had been a part of making three incredible Petit Jean yearbooks, and, if anything, I had to try to raise the standards for my book. As soon as I heard the word that day, I knew it was the culmination of everything I wanted co say about the importance of our yearbook. In the same chapel presentation, Guy said that "students cannot live well unless they have something to live for." I think thus far in my life I have lived well because Petit Jean is a part of my narrative. While walking in the door of the Student Publications office freshman year dramatically affected my Harding experience and my personal growth over the past four years, my connections to Petit Jean began when I was a little girl. I was too young to remember the first time my parents took me to Petit Jean State Park in Morrilton, Arkansas. We parked our camper there sooften that the park rangers knew the names of our two beagles, Tipper and Tiny. I spent my childhood hiking to Cedar Falls, covering myself in dust from Rock House Cave, attending ranger-led programs about flying squirrels, and earning as many junior ranger badges as the velcro Curtainsin our camper could hold. Petit Jean was and stillis a part of who I am. I take my friends there on weekends, took my engagement photos there and now I am the editor of the publication that bears its name. The Petit Jean yearbook is more to me than just a publication. It records the history of the university year by year, provides inspiration and serves as a reminder of our experiences. Both on the day rhe book is distributed and on the day it is opened again after 50 years of sitting on a dusty shelf, the ink and paper serves as a tangible reminder of the memories that will be recalled simply by one word or picture. For some, chose moments will be the campus-wide events like SpringSing, the Ben Rector concert, a conversation between C.S. Lewis' biographer and stepson, or the candlelight vigils for alumnus Botham Jean and junior Mary Joy Uebelein.For others, the daily moments walking across campus that seem insignificant at the time will outlive the memories of the big events and will come flooding back as they turn the pages of this book. Nomatter who you are, you are part of the narrative of this year at Harding. Our campus has been the backdrop for the narratives of students since 1924, which is honored through the illustrations of current buildings on campus inspired by the style of the 1940 Petit Jean. The spirit of the campus we walk every day is captured through the green of the front lawn, the maroon of the brick buildings, the gold of the Harding icons and the blue of the sky that hangs above our heads on most days. Like the threads that are woven to make up the green linen cover of this book, each of our own narratives has become intertwined in the heart of our campus to create a story that will forever live within us. Always remember, you shaped che narrative of Harding. Megan Stroud editor-in-chief Water pours offCedar Falls in PetitJean State Park on Nov. 4, 2018. The original campus ofHarding Coltege, where the first PetitJean yearbook staff created the 1924 PetitJean, sat in "the foothills ofthe Ozarks" in Morrilton, Arkansas, below Petit jean mountain. I photo by Sterling McMichael
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