Ouachita Stories

I first met Kenneth Sandifer as a freshman biology major at Ouachita that would affect my life. There were several influential people at Ouachita who helped me navigate my academic career — people like Joe Nix, Vic Oliver and Bill Dixon. They were as much friends and mentors as teachers, and I stayed in contact with them even after graduation. But it was my connection with “Sandy” Sandifer that would change my life.

Sandy passed away in 2019. If you read his obituary, you’ll find out he earned a bachelor’s degree from Ouachita before attending graduate school at Peabody College. Upon graduating from Peabody, he spent two years in the Medical Corps during the Korean War. After a five-year run teaching at Arkansas A&M (University of Arkansas at Monticello), Sandy returned to Ouachita in 1961, where he stayed until retiring as department chair.

Although his exams – especially lab exams – were difficult, Mr. Sandifer had a knack for making everything fun. He loved teaching and working with students. I distinctly remember his courses in microbiology, histology, parasitology and comparative anatomy. I don’t have space for all the stories I could tell! One of his favorite sayings was, “I showed my wife this exam, and she just started crying she felt so bad for all of you.”

When he hired me as a biology instructor at Ouachita in 1989, Mr. Sandifer, the teacher, became “Sandy,” the colleague. I found out a lot about him in those years before he retired. He loved his family more than anything. He was a deacon and usher at First Baptist Church, where my wife Tracey and I joined. He loved refinishing furniture, but he loved the back-and-forth of selling pieces even more, always driving a hard bargain.

He gave me tidbits of wisdom while I learned to teach, and I was grateful. Between Sandy and other key people, I had strong role models. The success we now enjoy in Ouachita’s natural sciences was built on their shoulders.

Early in my career, during a Wednesday night service at First Baptist, the pastor asked us to stand up and share something we were thankful for. Sandy stood up and said, “I’m thankful I hired Tim Knight.” He had no idea what that meant to me. Nearly 35 years later, I remember it like it was yesterday. There’s no doubt many alumni have similar stories about Sandy. Ouachita has a rich history of people like him making a lasting difference in this world.

After retirement, Sandy could be seen around town in his old pickup. He’d been working on furniture, fishing or hunting, but he always wanted to know about you. In addition to work with Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief, he established appreciation dinners for law enforcement, first responders and city utility workers. Everyone knew Sandy. When I run into classmates or alumni, we often mention him. Every person has a Sandifer story, and each will be smiling and laughing while telling it!

Sandy Sandifer was pure gold as a person. He and Ouachita were perfect for each other. If you visit campus, drop by and see me in Jones Science Center. I would like nothing better than to tell Ouachita stories – especially Sandy stories!

Lead photo: From the 1965 Ouachitonian, Ken Sandifer (left) supervises field research on poisoned fish with two students.

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Tim Knight '84 is the dean of the Patterson School of Natural Sciences at Ouachita and professor of biology. He earned his bachelor's degree from Ouachita and a master's ('86) and Ph.D. ('89) from the University of Texas at Dallas.

 

 

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