Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Board of Trustees elected five new trustees and one national director during a Dec. 13 board meeting on Ouachita’s Arkadelphia campus.

Board members also elected two new faculty members and two admissions counselors and adopted resolutions honoring two Arkansas Baptist State Convention leaders.

New trustees elected to three-year terms on the Board of Trustees include:

Clay Hallmark, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Marion, Ark. He also is a former president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.

Mark Roberts, president of Malvern National Bank and a member of First Baptist Church of Malvern, Ark.

Lloydine Seale of Seale Construction. She is a member of First Baptist Church of Sparkman, Ark.

Randy Sims, a 1977 Ouachita graduate and CEO of Centennial Bank/Home Bancshares, Inc., in Conway, Ark. He is a member of One Church in Conway.

James Young, a 1968 Ouachita graduate and a physician in McGehee, Ark. He is a member of First Baptist Church of McGehee.

Jarrett Stephens, a 2000 Ouachita graduate, was elected as a national director. He is a teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

Ouachita President Rex Horne also recognized four trustees who are rotating off the Board of Directors after serving two three-year terms each: Jay Heflin of Little Rock; Craig Jenkins of Texarkana, Ark.; Richard Lusby of Jonesboro, Ark.; and John Ward of North Little Rock, Ark.

Board members also honored Dr. Emil Turner, retiring executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, and Dr. Sonny Tucker, incoming state convention executive director.

Affirming that Dr. Turner “has rendered faithful and distinguished service” during his 17 years as ABSC executive director, the resolution noted that he “has demonstrated consistent and affirming support for the mission of Ouachita Baptist University.” Trustees resolved to “express their gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Emil Turner and pledge their prayers and support to him and his wife, Mary, for all the days ahead.”

Dr. Tucker, a 1983 Ouachita graduate, was elected Dec. 4 to succeed Dr. Turner as ABSC executive director effective Jan. 1, 2013. Citing Dr. Tucker’s strong ties to the university, the resolution noted that he “is an alumnus of Ouachita Baptist University, along with his wife, Nicki McAnnally Tucker, and their daughter, Megan Tucker Seyler; and their son, Curt Tucker, is a current Ouachita student.”

The resolution added that Dr. Tucker “has demonstrated consistent support for Ouachita throughout his years of service as a pastor and as team leader for the Evangelism and Church Growth Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.” Trustees resolved to “offer their sincere congratulations” to Dr. Tucker and to “pledge their prayers and support for his leadership among Arkansas Baptists in the years ahead.”

In personnel-related issues, trustees elected four new faculty and staff members, including:

Dr. Wendy Richter, associate professor and archivist for Riley-Hickingbotham Library effective Jan. 1, 2013. Dr. Richter, who held the same position at Ouachita from 1990 to 2005, holds degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Arkansas State University. She most recently served as the state historian and director of the state archives at the Arkansas History Commission.

Dr. Bethany Hicks, assistant professor of history in the Sutton School of Social Sciences effective Aug. 1, 2013. Dr. Hicks, who holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University, has served since 2010 as a visiting assistant professor of history at Ouachita. She also has studied in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar.

Sarah Baker, admissions counselor in the Office of Admissions Counseling effective Jan. 2, 2013. A 2011 Ouachita graduate with a major in business, she previously has worked at the Greenville, Texas, Chamber of Commerce.

Kevin Coleman, admissions counselor in the Office of Admissions Counseling effective Jan. 9, 2013. He is a 2012 Ouachita graduate with majors in philosophy and Christian studies.

By Trennis Henderson, OBU vice president for communications