Ouachita Baptist University Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita The Ouachita Circle: The Alumni Magazine of Ouachita Alumni Ouachita Baptist University Summer 2005 The Ouachita Circle Summer 2005 Ouachita Baptist University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/alumni_mag Part of the Organizational Communication Commons, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons Recommended Citation Ouachita Baptist University, "The Ouachita Circle Summer 2005" (2005). The Ouachita Circle: The Alumni Magazine of Ouachita Baptist University. 63. https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/alumni_mag/63 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Ouachita Alumni at Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Ouachita Circle: The Alumni Magazine of Ouachita Baptist University by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Word from the President ... Elsewhere in this edition of the Circle, you'll read of the successful completion of the first phase of Ouachita's $62.5 million capital c~paign. Thanks to the gifts of thousands of friends, the Circle of Excellence campaign resulted in strengthening our ability to provide a quality education to students-now and in the future. We are grateful for every gift. For the record, I will simply say that we have been blessed beyond measure as we have waged this campaign. As you may recall, the effort was launched in the aftermath of 9/11 and in the midst of a serious downturn in the economy. For the first half of the campaign, gifts of highly- appreciated stock, which had fueled much of our growth in the 1990s, were about as scarce as a low-humidity morning in an Arkadelphia August. There were days, weeks, and even months, when I wondered how God would provide. Again and again, I was reminded of the transcendent wisdom of Proverbs 3:5, a verse that serves as a touchstone in my feeb le attempts to provide guidance for Ouachita: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." God provided. Even now, we are anticipating the second phase of the campaign. Over the next year, we'll be listening to Ouachita's many stakeholders as we evaluate our challenges and opportunities. We're hoping to bring the decade-long campaign to a safe and happy conclusion in just a few years ... on September 6, 2011, Ouachita's 125th anniversary. I'll keep you posted on our plans. As always, please keep Ouachita in your prayers. THE OUACHITA CIRCLE .. .t. I .. ... I .. .. I BOARD OF TRUSTEES Junanne Brown Jack Hazlewood Johnny Heflin Frank Hiokingbotham Rex M. Horne, Jr. Vickie Keeton Taylor King Larry Kircher Jim Lagrone Ginger Morgan Mollie Morgan Quinton Moss Faron Rogers Paul Sal)ders \ Ken Shaddox William H. Sutton Llo d Thrash Ray' Turnage Mike Vinson Brice Wagner John Ward Richard Wells John Williamson Tony Yocom PRESIDENT EMERITUS Daniel R. Grant DEVELOPMENT STAFF Joe Franz, Vice President for Development John Cloud, Associate Vice President for Estate and Gift Planning Kathy Berry, Associate Vice President for Major Gifts James Guthrie, Development Officer Shirley Hardin, Development Officer Bill Wright, Development Officer Fitzgerald Hill, Director, Opportunity Fund e Tsunami Relief FORMER STUDENTS Professors participate iu reliefeffort .... Page 2 A SSOCIATION ADVISORY B OARD Becky Sutton Kirkpatrick, President Steve Lemmond, 1st Vice President Spring Commencement Doug West, 2nd Vice President 196 students receive degrees ... Page 4 Wesley Kluck, Tiger Network Chair Arkansas Advisors: Pauline Henderson Blacknall, Music, Mud & Meyhem Pam Taylor Carroll, Tiffany Thompson Crow, Arkansas' Most Exciting College Weekend ... Page 8 Suzanne Duke Franklin, Chris Lawson, Jeff Teague Schleiffs minister to MKs Out-of-State Advisors: Tom Aud, G. B. "Kip" Colvin, Former missionaries provide MKS "home" ... Page 10 Denise Leverett Elliott, Susan McCain Hinger, Christi Lyday Nichols, Ezekiel "Zeke" Vaughn Point of Grace aids students The Ouachita Circle is a publication of Group provides scholarship ... Page 17 · Ouachita Baptist University, OBU Box 3762, Arkadelphia, AR Fitz Hill leads Opportuniry Fund 71998-0001 • Phone 870-245-5000 Alumnus returns to raise scholarship funds ... Page 20 Alumni E-mail: [email protected] Deborah Root, Editor Randy Garner, Assistant to the President for President becomes author Enrollment Management/Dir. of Alumni Affairs Westmoreland shares ideas on Christian leadership ... Page 2 Rebecca Jones, Assistant to the President for Public Relations Jennifer Byrd, Asst. Dir. of Public Relations Circle of Excellence Campaign Bettie Duke, Alumni Affairs $62.5 million goal surpassed ... Page 22 Kevin Wieser, Director of Tiger Network Printed by Twin City Printing and Litho, Inc. Dr. Danny Hays (below) provided assistance with water treatment projects Dr. Randy Richards (in background) translated for medical personnel nder normal circumstances, facul ty members at Ouachita wouldn't be absent from classes for weeks at a time. During the spring semester, U however, D r. Randy Richards and D r. Danny H ays were asked to re- spond to one of rhe world's largest natural disasters, the Southeast Asian tsunami. Accepting the assignment required absence from classes, support from colleagues, funding and the management of dozens of details. With the support of D r. Scott Duvall , dean of the Pruet School of C hristian Studies, and colleagues who volun­ teered to teach their classes, Richards and H ays accepted the invitation to join an Arkansas-based team in medical relief. On February 2, H ays, Richards and eight other Arkansas Baptist State Conven­ tion (ABSC)-sponsored volunteers departed from Little Rock to spend two weeks offering medical assistance to one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami. The group, whose funding came exclusively from the contributions of Arkansas Baptists, was made up of two doctors, three nurses, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), a chaplain, a retired missionary, H ays and Richards. When they left, they were un­ certain about the exact role they would play bur felt they had a coll ective skill set that would be helpful. Accordjng ro Richards. tbe group was "determined not ro get 2 ;-of on-going relief efforts, while assisting "We had some opportunities to pray for people, and ~.._....,.. rhey could. we always prayed in Jesus' name," said Richards. "Our kU<:naros explained rhar in disaster-relief situ­ goal was to be very visibly Christian in our charac­ many people rush to aid victims and may ter and not do anyrhing to prevent the next teams rionally deter the recovery process. He was (from entering the area)." He explained that the team nbdenr rhe ABSC ream would be helpful because hoped the people they encountered would get a sense rhey had needed skills and didn't require constant of "what CIHistians are like" and that the interaction supervision from permanent personnel in the area. would help to dispel negative stereotypes long em­ Richards, a former missionary to Indonesia, and one braced by many in the region. other ream member provided translation for doctors, As for the impact of nurses and patients who were receiving treatment. the trip on team members, T hey also drove team members to make-shift clinics Hays said, "The scale of it that were set up in sometimes-remote locations. is hard to grasp. We drove "Randy's very good at translating," said Hays. for 40 miles, and there "We wanted the clinics to be warm and caring, and were leveled houses all the Randy really does a good job personalizing rhe visits way. T he other thing is (for patients). He was able to listen to what hap­ rhe personal stories. Over pened and show rhat rhere are people who care. He and over we heard people was very needed." say they'd lost the rest of As for Hays' role, he drew on his expertise in their families." H e went engineering and drinking water development. His on to talk about dealing undergraduate education in civil engineering and with the emotions of rhe call to missions led him to work in water develop­ experience. "You just get ment in Mrica early in his career. He spent five years by yourself and cry for in Ethiopia as a member of an international mission a while. I doubt if rhere organization. His primary functions were rural wa­ was a member of rhe ream ter research and development and church outreach. who didn't." During the tsunami-relief effort, Hays was as­ Richards said that signed to study water treatment solutions for well for him, rhe trip "re­ systems. "A key before moving (survivors) back freshed burdens and rein­ home was getting water systems working," said vigorated my calling." He Hays. He visited neighborhoods and checked water plans to return to Sourh­ wells to assess the damage. Mter careful study, Hays east Asia on a mission trip proposed using portable, gas-powered pumps and in June with a group of chlorination to help eliminate salt water contamina­ Ouachita students. T he tion. The ABSC group had to leave the area before group will be doing simi­ the plan was implemented, bur follow-up teams lar relief work on a small were able to si.1ccessfully employ Hays' instructions. island devastated by the tsunan1i (and rhe 9.3 quake Individual well systems are currently working prop­ that caused it) and a subsequent 8.7 quake on March erly and providing clean water to residents. 28th. T here have been multiple severe earrhquakes Besides providing practical assistance to those since then. Ultimately, Richards hopes the group will in need, the ABSC team hoped to minister to the have opportunities to share Christianity by offering people they met. The region where rhey worked had compassion and service to rhose who have suffered so previously been inaccessible to Christian missions.