188 A Quiet Presence Generations of the Nesbitt family reflect on their time living on campus. Debra Nesbitt has served as a dorm mom since 2000, and her father, Larry Daughety, served as a dorm dad from 1974–99. Over the years, the Nesbitt family was a quiet but influential source of support and comfort for many students. Nesbitt spoke about her experience. “There’s not a lot of training, but I knew what my dad did,” Nesbitt said. “I watched my dad my whole life. I watched him close down dorms, open up dorms, check in guys, and visit with guys, so I probably had a better idea than some people, but I still felt really lost.” Not only was Nesbitt raised in the dorm, but she raised all three of her children in the dorm. “Growing up in the dorm influenced us in so many ways, especially when we were younger,” Johnathan Nesbitt, Debra’s oldest child, said. “Middle-school-aged Johnathan, Allie and Larah were constantly hanging out and playing with the guys in the dorm.” Larah Nesbitt, the youngest of the three siblings, appreciated the scenery at Harding that she was able to grow up with. “Imagine [the front lawn] being your backyard,” Larah Nesbitt said. “It was amazing, just being able to run around in a safe environment where my parents weren’t worried about us.” The Nesbitt family legacy at Harding all started with Debra’s father. Before Daughety became a dorm dad, he worked as the Harding milkman and then as the head of the grounds crew. Daughety was well-known around campus. “There were people at his funeral that worked for him as student workers and minimum wage employees back in the day, and they said, ‘Your grandfather changed the trajectory of my life, and I will forever aspire to be that for other people,’” Johnathan said. When asked about a story that showed Daughety’s influence on the Harding community, Debra and her husband, Alan Nesbitt, both recalled a memory involving Harding alum Mark Benton. “When my dad passed, we heard story after story after story, and that was just amazing,” Debra said. “Mark Benton was sitting out on a curb, and he was going home. He was done, just ready to leave. And my dad saw him and just went up and sat down beside him and started talking. I don’t know exactly what was exchanged, but Mark Benton has told me more than once, ‘That is the reason I stayed.’” Benton went on to become a teacher, principal and superintendent at Harding Academy. Daughety continued quietly supporting friends and students throughout his career as a dorm dad. This habit of quiet support and influence woven throughout the Nesbitt family and proved that one did not have to be a prominent social figure in order to bless those around them through leadership. The best dorm families practice this virtue; not a bold influence, but a quiet, friendly presence and support. Written By Michael Wrye Leadership
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