Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a pair of campus events on Monday, Jan. 18.

“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is certainly one of the most important figures in our nation’s history,” emphasized Ouachita President Rex M. Horne, Jr. “His life and death were given in the pursuit of equality.

“As a child of the ’60s, I well remember the challenges in our American culture in race relations,” Dr. Horne added. “I am most pleased that we celebrate the life, legacy and hope of Dr. King on campus this year. A special Noonday service and a panel discussion at 4 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall afford great opportunities for all of us. I hope you will join me as we continue the journey.”

Ouachita’s Noonday service on Jan. 18 will feature audio excerpts from Dr. King’s classic 1956 sermon, “Paul’s Message to American Christians.” Declaring that “the underlying philosophy of Christianity is diametrically opposed to the underlying philosophy of segregation,” Dr. King said, “As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love.”

In addition to Noonday, a student-led worship service held at noon three days a week in the university’s Berry Chapel, Ouachita officials will host a panel discussion at 4 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall located in Mabee Fine Arts Center. The event, “The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Panel Discussion,” will be moderated by Dr. Hal Bass, dean of Ouachita’s W.H. Sutton School of Social Sciences.

Panelists include Dr. Tom Auffenberg, chair of Ouachita’s department of history and holder of the R. Vogt Hill Chair of History; Stephen Johnson, an accounting and business administration double major from Bowling Green, Ky., and president of the OBU Student Senate; Connie Nelson, executive director of the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce; Kendra Pruitt; a business administration major from Newport, Ark., and a member of Reaching Out to Multicultural Students (ROMS); and Philip Williamson, a philosophy, political science and Christian studies triple major from Batesville, Ark., and senior class president.

The panel discussion, which is open to the public, will be followed by a reception in Hammons Fine Art Gallery for participants and guests.

For more information about Ouachita’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day observance, contact Trennis Henderson, OBU vice president for communications, at (870) 245-5206.