Ouachita Stories

I give the newly arrived freshmen a taste of Ouachita history before classes start each fall. Since I follow the marching band and cheerleaders in orientation, I begin with a light-hearted, game-showish approach. I finish, though, with a serious story expressing the heart of what I think it means to be a Ouachitonian. I tell the inspirational story of Rosemary Chu.

Born in the Shandong Province of China, Shu Fang was raised in a Christian family. She was a college student when the Communist government began to severely limit religious expression and isolate the country. When her father learned the borders were closing, he told Shu Fang she was in a unique position. She left campus and, before her absence from either college or home was discovered, she caught a train headed for the border.

Eight days later, Shu Fang was at the border pleading with a guard to be allowed to cross into Hong Kong. She had seen many in the huge crowd turned away or arrested. Despite the facts that she had no papers granting permission to leave the country and she spoke Mandarin while the guard spoke Cantonese, he let her through.

Shu Fang (now Rosemary) came to America and met Finley Chu, a Chinese Ph.D. candidate who had migrated to America after World War II. Finley earned two doctorates, and his teaching career flourished. The family, now including daughter Jane, arrived at Ouachita in 1963. Life in Arkadelphia was ideal for a time, but by 1964, Finley was seriously ill. After months of tests and visits with specialists, he was diagnosed with cancer. Following surgery in 1965, Finley rallied for a time. He never missed class in the fall of 1966, even though he sometimes needed help from a student to get from his car to the classroom. Dr. Finley Chu died on January 17, 1967.

Being a young widow and single mother is surely difficult now. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for Rosemary in 1967. She had no significant income. She had limited traditional job skills. She had a nine-year-old daughter.

This is the part I try to drive home to our freshmen. What Rosemary Chu had was the investment she had made in Ouachita. And Ouachita invested in her. By January 1967, construction was well underway on a facility that would become Frances Crawford Hall. Rosemary was named “dorm mom,” and she and Jane moved into a small apartment on the west side. Rosemary ministered to the young women in that dorm for the next 41 years. She devoted her life to them. I see the eyes of freshmen women light up when I mention Frances Crawford Hall. They live there. My message is that they will make their own decision about how to react to what college life at Ouachita has to offer. I want them to know if they embrace their university, they’ll always be part of a close-knit, Christ-led community.

 

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Dr. Jeff Root ’83 is professor of communications and dean of the School of Humanities at Ouachita. He first stepped onto Ouachita's campus as a three-year-old in 1964 when his father, Dr. Paul Root, joined the history faculty. He holds a bachelor's degree from Ouachita, a master's from the University of Arkansas (’89) and a doctorate of education from the Oklahoma State University (’91).

 

 

 

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