Newspapers / Brevard College Student Newspaper / Sept. 6, 1968, edition 1 / Page 2
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PA/JE TWO THE CLARION September 6, iggg DR. EMMETT K. McLARTY A MAN OF DISTINCTION By Bruce Armes I On May 3, 1957, the Board of Trustees elected Dr. Emmett Kennedy MoLarty to succeed Robent H. Stamey as president of Brevard College. On July 1 of that same year, Dr. McLarty officially took the helm and pro ceeded to lead B. C. through the next eleven years of un- p.recedented progress in the areas of building and educa tional amelioration until his death in May of 1968. Dr. McLarty’s first aim after becoming president was to see that the College was supplied with greater and more advanc ed material facilities. Plans were made for a long - range building program, the effects of which are now quite evident on the campus: the Bryan Moore Science Building (com pleted in 1961); the Boshamer Gymnasium (1%2); the Beam Administration Building (1965); the Lena Sue Beam Residence Hall (1966; the James Addison Jones Library ,1967); and the A. G. Myers Dining Hall (1968). Consitru'ction is already under way on ithe new classroom build ing, and plans were completed last year for the new student union building, in the past eleven years the physical value of the college has been aug mented by over three million dollars. This building program has, as planned, greatly enichanced the academic standards of the college and allowed for an ad ded twenty - four faculty mem- ibers, doulbde ithait of 1957. Un der Dr. McLarty’s leadership, the curriculum of the college has been greatly expanded; eighteen preparabory courses of study are now Offered at B. C. Dr. McLarty was a very de voted person. Agressive, yet totally unselfisih, he for eleven years embodied a resolution find an earnest desire to make Bre vard what it is today — one of (the finest private two-year col leges in America. I became acquainted with Dr. McLarty during my freshman year mainly through interviews with him for the Clarion. Al though he had an extremely busy schedule, he never re fused me the time for a dis cussion. In fact once after I had already been informed by Mrs. Kenerly, his secretary. ■that he was too busy to see anyone, the President emerged from his office and said that he would talk to me for a few minutes. Mrs. Kenerly has told me of numerous occasions when Dr. McLarty would be late to a meeting or perhaps even can cel one because he thought that a particular student’s problem was more important. Dr. McLarty firmly believed in the student as an individual. He once wrote in one of his speeches: “I cannot speak for all colleges, but I can speak for one: we, at Brevard, be lieve in the primacy of the individual; we are not interest ed in producing stamped out individuals all of a pattern . . . no grey flannel minds for us!” What He Thought of Brevard To Dr. McLarty, Brevard Col lege was a gratifying experi ence in which he involved him self deeply. Brevard College, its needs and its wants, were always of first concern to him. He was often out of town rep resenting the college (a fact of great importance for the Buocessfuil building program here). Dr. McLarty was invariably worried that Brevard’s students would lose sight of the true purpose of the college and that they would ignore the sichool’s direct connection with the Methodist church. This was cer tainly a valid reason for con cern. The building program, men tioned previously, is the tan gible evidence which shows Dr. McLarty’s positive interest in Brevard College and its possi bilities. He knew that high merits in academics are not possible without relatively mod ern teaching facilities and equipment. President McLarty was ever sitriving for excellence. In the speech which he had planned to give at the recent convoca tion, he wrote . . . “Aim, then, at excellence. Think on these ways of breakthrouigh to excel lence, and employ the will in pursuing it; in se¥ respect, in conviction, in resolution, in so cial conscience, and in rever ence.” My grateful thanks go to Mrs. McLarty and her daughter The CLARION The VOICE of Brevard College Wayne Morton Editor-in-Chief Bruce Armes Associate Editor Sherry Baldwin Feature Editor Bob Williamson Science Editor Bonnie Smith, Larry Nelson Sports Editors Teresa Lax, Bill Rankin, Monte Sharpe Columnists Phyllis Joyner, Valerie Leisher Business Editors Ronald Smith, Kicky Nichols Reporters Mrs. Ena Kate Sigmon Advisor Published weekly during the college session, with the exception of holidays and examination periods, by stud ents of Brevard College. Printed by Th# Transylvania Times, North Broad St., Brevard, N. C. Sallie, from whom I was able to learn a great deal of Presi dent McLarty’s personal con cerns of Brevard College. Their generous and meaningful con versation with me brought out many things that, ordinarily, would not be thought of. What Brevard Thought Of Him Mrs. Kenerly — “Before I came to Brevard as Dtr. Mc- Larty’s secretary, he was my minister, and I respected and admired him as an outstanding minister and pastor. As bis secretary for eleven years, my respect and admiration for him grew because I saw in his deal ings with people every day, all people, that he was worthy of all the respect a person can be given. He was my employer, but above all he was my friend, and I would have no greater hope that some of his faith in people, his high ideals, and his limitless compassion would in fluence my life. He has touch ed many lives over the years, and I know that these persons are better for having known him. Mr. Hardin — “We who worked closely with Dr. Mc Larty were most impressed with his genuine interest and concern for persons. He never let the often hedtic and frus trating duties of the Presidency keep him from going out of his way to show his interest in persons. Many illustrations could be given of this charac teristic, but I particularly like the story told me this summer by a minister in the Western North Carolina Conference. This young minister had been a page at the General Confer ence of the Methodist Church held in Dallas, Texas, in late April and early May. He was assigned to room with Dr. Mc Larty whO' was a delegate to the Conference. This Confer ence lasted for two weeks and took on many of the character istics of a political convention with long sessions, some heat ed floor fights, and late cau cuses. It was a tiring experience and Dr. MoLarty returned to North Carolina about three weeks before his death a very tired man. However, this young minister told me that the very day after Dr. McLarty had re turned home, he took part of his Sunday afternoon to sit down and write this young min ister a most gracious letter thanking him and expressing his pleasure for having room ed with him for the two weeks This young minister told me how impressed he was that Dr. McLarty would take the time to write such a gracious letter when most of us would not have bothered to write at aU, It was such incidents as this when he would go the second mile where persons were in volved that 1 win forever re member about Emmett K. Mc Larty. Dean Roberts — “He was a good man, an honest man, who if he knew dishonesty and subterfuge existed in the world, never gave them credence by taking note of them. He was a source of strength and safe ty to all who knew him, and now that he is dead, the ad ministration building has been for months a building without a heart. Dean Burgess — “How priv ileged I was. On Friday morn ing I landed at the Asheville airport and walked into the waiting room. I looked for a student who might have been sent to meet me, and saw none who fitted this description. Then when President and Mrs. McLarty introduced themselves, I registered my astonisihment that the President himself should drive over. How typical of him, in several ways. That he was so personally interested in people; that he came with Mrs. MoLarty, for he so ob viously enjoyed his family; that he wanted to talk with me him self so he would have his own impressions; that we talked about many things as we drove to Brevard, as he was inter ested in many things. His deep love for the stud ents, for the staff and faculty of the college, his vision of Brevard’s possibilities, his ded ication to the church and his abiding faith in the living God were apparent in even such a short meeting. It doesn’t take long to discover that you are in the presence of a truly great man. His presence is still very much with us. From The Faculty Mr. Miles — ‘During the eight years I knew him — and his death occurred exactly ht years to the day after my first visit to this campus—^my respect and affection for him was constantly heightened. Nev er after I had talked with him did I have the impression that his first concern was not the total welfare of this school, its ability to offer the best educa- ticn possible for its students. To that end he devoted his energy and time. But beyond that, constantly I had the feel ing that he was concerned with the personal growth of those with whom he came into con tact — students, faculty, staff, and administration. Their cares and joys became his. Few peo ple are able to communicate such concern, and perhaps this was his greatest gift to all of us who knew him. From the students — “Pres ident McLarty exemplified Bre vard College more perfectly than anyone or anything I know. His personal characteris tics were almost exactly those of the college. His friendliness, scholarship, Christian spirit, and willingness to help in any situation are the things this school stands for and seeks to establish in i'fe students. When one wanted to know what Bre vard College was like, the best way to show them was to in troduce them to its president.” pray that the justice we do Dr. McLarty is to live up to that example. Both in our per- sonal lives and in the fellowshin of this campus.” In closing, I would like to quote several lines from the tribute given Dr. McLarty at his funeral by Bishop Hunt. ., “He was in love with life. He was in ecstatic love with life and that love seemed to dance so gaily through everything that he did and all that he said until he became a memorable human being. But, 0, what a human being. There are just so many things that you think about when you think of Em mett McLarty as a man. What a man he was.” I do hope, and with honest sincerity, that in this article I have done at least partial jus tice to a man whose intrinsic greatness I will probably never know or even be able to im agine ■— Dr. Emmeitt Kennedy McLarty. »ll xml Dr. E. K. McLarty Mrs. Helen Furr Mrs. Betty Murray We cannot think of them as dead Who walk with us no more Along the path of life we tread; They have but gone before. The Father’s house is mansion- ed fair Beyond our vision dim; All souls are His, and here or there Are living unto Him. And still their silent minis- teries Within our hearts have place. As when on earth they walked with us And met us face to face. Ours are they by an ownership That neither time nor death can free; For God hath given His love to keep His own eternally. ‘He bowed hist head and was quiet as he sat before his dmner. He spoke to my heart and the hearts of all wiho would listen. His Ufe set an excellent example for all of our lives. I THANK YOU The student leaders of Brevard College wish to ex press their grateful appreci^ tion to Mrs. E. K. McLarty for the delicious lunch pre pared by her on August This was a gracious on the part of Mrs. McLa™ and gives evidence to aej interest in young people ^ especially in Brevard toi- lege.
Brevard College Student Newspaper
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Sept. 6, 1968, edition 1
2
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