Ouachita Stories

Gathering for Ouachita Baptist University’s annual Faculty/Staff Banquet, the university recently honored 41 faculty and staff members with a combined total of 775 years of service to Ouachita.

Among the longtime faculty and staff members honored, Dr. Ben M. Elrod and Janice Ford were recognized for 40 years of service each. Dr. Elrod, a 1952 Ouachita graduate, served as Ouachita’s 13^th president in 1988-1998 and has served as chancellor since his retirement as president.

“I am pleased to offer my congratulations to a man I have known and loved for more than 50 years,” said Interim President Charles Wright. “I wish to thank our God for bringing Dr. Ben Elrod to Ouachita more than 40 years ago as vice president for development and then blessing us again with his presidency.

“Dr. Elrod is a very special man who God has blessed with many gifts,” Dr. Wright added. “He led Ouachita through some perilous days during his presidency, and we are stronger today because of his outstanding leadership.

“Thank you to Dr. Elrod for making us better people just by knowing you, and for dedicating most of your life to enhancing the presence of Ouachita throughout the world.”

Janice Ford, who holds degrees from Ouachita and Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, serves as professor and government resources librarian. She has held several positions at Riley-Hickingbotham Library, including working with interlibrary loans, circulation, reference, periodicals, cataloging and the U.S. Sen. John L. McClellan Collection.

“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to congratulate Janice Ford for her 40 years of dedicated service to Ouachita,” Dr. Wright noted. “To be more specific, I wish to commend her for her unique ability to secure on loan from other libraries virtually any document or book that our students or faculty members might want or need. This is a rare talent. Janice truly is an asset for Ouachita.”

In addition to Dr. Elrod and Ford, 39 other faculty and staff members were recognized for service milestones.

“To those faculty and staff members who received 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 year awards, we wholeheartedly congratulate you and thank you for committing your life to service at Ouachita,” Dr. Wright said. “You help make Ouachita a place where love and respect for each other abounds. I believe this is why so many of our people choose to make Ouachita a lifetime venture.”

Ouachita faculty and staff recognized for major service milestones include:

35 Years of Service – Kevin Sullivan, facilities management.

30 Years of Service – Charolette Allison, executive secretary to the president; Dr. Steve Hennagin, professor of mathematics; Dr. Scott Holsclaw, professor of theatre arts; Sherri Phelps, director of human resources; Dr. Doug Reed, associate vice president for academic affairs and the Herbert and LaDelle Moody Professor of Pre-Law Studies; Ruby Williams, facilities management.

25 Years of Service – Dr. Nancy Hardman, the Edna and Freda Linn Professor of Communication Sciences and Pre-Medical Studies; Deborah Lee, facilities management; Loretta Shepherd, post office clerk; Craig Ward, men’s tennis head coach.

20 Years of Service – Garry Crowder, women’s basketball head coach and instructor of kinesiology and leisure studies; Robin Green, facilities management; Laurie Huneycutt, School of Fine Arts administrative assistant; Dr. Glenda Secrest, professor of music; Molly Wallace, health services director; Kim Ward, Ward Tennis Center manager.

15 Years of Service – Dennis Brashier, facilities management; Dr. Detri Brech, professor of dietetics; Dr. Kevin Cornelius, professor of physics; Larry Dyess, facilities management; Dr. Kent Faught, the Jay and Lynn Heflin Professor of Business; Tracey Knight, Pruet School of Christian Studies administrative assistant; Martha Womack, Campus Ministries administrative assistant; Jennifer Yates, Riley-Hickingbotham Library building services.

10 Years of Service – Anita Black, Hickingbotham School of Business administrative assistant; Danny Chote, facilities management; Amy Eubanks, adjunct biology faculty; Dr. Jim Files, associate professor of accounting; Melinda Fowler, IT Services programmer; Patricia Fowler, registrar’s office; Tim Harrell, director of campus activities; Kevin Herrington, web services coordinator; Jonathan Hughes, facilities management; Benny Johnson, facilities management; Dr. Wesley Kluck, vice president for student services; Susan Monroe, School of Fine Arts Division of Music accompanist; Tara Pritchard, Sutton School of Social Sciences administrative assistant; Diane Runyan, Elrod Center for Family and Community administrative assistant.

 

By Trennis Henderson, OBU Vice President for Communications

Photo Above: Dr. Ben M. Elrod, Ouachita chancellor, (at left) was honored for 40 years of service to the university by Dr. Charles Wright, interim president. Photo by Grace Finley.