A country music star, a movie producer, scientists, FBI agents and professional athletes got their start at Southern Arkansas University, a school with roots in agriculture that has grown to include diverse undergraduate degrees and an ever increasing master’s program.
On January 14 numerous representatives and supporters of Southern Arkansas University traveled to Little Rock to attend the ceremonial re-enactment that began its history 100 years ago.
Governor Mike Beebe ceremoniously signed Act 100 as President Dr. David Rankin and presidents from the three other agricultural schools created in 1909 looked on. These schools involved include the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Arkansas Tech University and Arkansas State University. All four university president’s made comments about the historic day.
Rankin told the crowd in the Capitol rotunda that SAU was proud to share a place in history with the sister universities and said those in higher education are in a special business. He recalled a story about a recent graduate who told him how much she would miss SAU and how it had changed her life. He said he thinks of what she told him often.
“We are in the life changing business. What a blessing,” Rankin said.
Rankin also made mention of the enormous sacrifice people from across the state made to put the start up money together for the schools. He recognized audience member Mary Warnock Harsh, the granddaughter of Robert Samuel Warnock Sr., a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1909, who supported SAU in the legislature and on the home front with the single largest contribution to the University—$1,000.
“Their sacrifice changed the course of history for our state,” Rankin said.
Beebe also made remarks about the significance of the day and commented that the ceremony was not only educational but entertaining with performances made actors from the Arkansas State University’s Theatre Department. The actors wore period clothing to re-enact comments made by the 1909 legislators.
Although there was some dispute about whether the creation of the universities would be a success, Beebe said it is clear the supporters’ visions for what the universities could have become have already been surpasses. This is something that he expects will be a continuing trend.
“I don’t expect the progress of the next 100 years to reflect the progress of the last 100,” Beebe said. “I expect to vastly exceed it in multiples we can’t envision.”
The night before the re-enactment, supporters and members of the four university families gathered at the Governor’s Mansion for a reception. Historic displays from the Act 100 universities were displayed and comments were made by the university presidents and Arkansas’s First Lady Ginger Beebe.
