212 THE WOMEN WHO HARDING Harding and women over the last century. Despite the economic trepidation of the era, the dedicated leaders and faculty of the institution labored to keep the university afloat during the depression. The survival of the university was in large part due to many strong women who worked tirelessly for Harding. One example of this dedication was present in the life of Zelma Lawyer who was a matron for the lively women of Pattie Cobb. After leaving her position at Pattie Cobb, Lawyer went on to become matron of Grey Towers, another building on campus, and an associate professor for English. Lawyer’s successor and another great example of the many talented, dedicated women of Harding was Mrs. Florence Cathcart who was also the instructor for primary education, the composer of Harding’s alma mater and eventual Dean of Women. In 1934, the Women’s Club of Searcy held a reception of coffee, cakes and mint in the American Legion Hall to honor the women on the faculty and staff of the university. The hall was adorned with “fall flowers and ferns” with “a color scheme of pink and green.” The ’30s would prove a challenging decade for many Americans, but with the diligence of the many men and women of Harding, the university was able to come out on the other side stronger. 193 0s The women of Harding College were called to step up during this time of duress. In 1943, a national aviation firm advertised to campuses across the country (including Harding) asking for women to participate in their engineering course as a part of the war effort. They needed young women with an interest and training in collegiate mathematics to begin learning engineering principles through a program sponsored by Cornell and other universities with the goal of eventually putting those skills to use for the US military. Many of the women were very excited at this opportunity, commenting on a long-existing interest in engineering but always thinking of it as something that only men could do. After the war, Harding continued to grow, and in 1947, the University appointed a new Dean of Women, Zelma Bell to replace the newly retired Florence Cathcart who resigned with the accolade Dean Emeritus. Zelma Bell (class of ’38) served in the Navy during the war and then went on to teach English at Lipscomb while earning her master’s in counseling at Columbia University in New York City. By the late 40s, the women of Harding began participating in the American Association of University Women with Mrs. Richard Deener and Mrs. George (Sally) Benson as the president and vice president. The Searcy chapter would meet monthly over dinner. The tumultuous events of this decade gave women the opportunity to prove themselves, and the women of Harding answered the challenge with hand ready and willing to work. 1940s Zelma Bell and Louise Ganus ca. 1949. From Brackett Archives Zelma Lawyer From Petit Jean Harding’s history and success would look palpably different if it were not for the myriad of women working tirelessly behind the scenes to contribute to an establishment close to their hearts. During Harding College’s first decade, one woman would advance to the front as an indispensable figure in our history–Woodson Harding Armstrong, Harding’s first, first lady. Her tenure as First Lady lasted from 1924 to 1936; however, as the daughter of James A. Harding and Pattie Cobb Harding, Armstrong’s connections to Harding ran deep. Born in 1879, faith and education were tenets even in Armstrong’s upbringing as her father was a preacher and evangelist who was a founding member of Nashville Bible School (now Lipscomb University). By 1895, 16-year-old Woodson Armstrong was taking charge of her education, studying Latin, Greek and Hebrew. In an all-male Greek class, she met and eventually fell in love with professor J.N. Armstrong; the couple married a few years later. During J.N. Armstrong’s 12 years as president, Woodson Armstrong took an active role in Harding life, serving as dean of women, teaching speech and drama and sponsoring and chartering Harding’s first social club, Woodson Harding Comrades (WHC). After a prolific career in service and education, Woodson Harding Armstrong died Dec. 1, 1971, at the age of 92. Despite being an early figure in the University’s history, her legacy continued to live on in the lives of those who attended the school that she worked tirelessly to help build. WOMENof Harding 19 2 0s Woodson Harding Armstrong “To My Harding Girls: Today our penal institutions are being filled with mere boys — and sometimes girls. I have a feeling that responsibility for much of this delinquency must be borne by the women of America — the mothers, sisters, and sweethears of these young criminals. I have no greater desire for the young women that go our from Harding College than that they make women after God’s own heart — women who are destined to make the world safer for the youth of the nation and, hence, safer for civilization itself. In helping to save others, will these future wives and mothers, Harding College girls, save themselves.” Woodson Harding Armstrong Petit Jean 1935-1936 Written by Twila Reed
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