Musings: Mighty Oaks From Acorns Grow
Last updated Friday, July 18, 2008 5:41 PM CDT in Religion
By Rev. Andrew Hall
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
He was a judge's son from Piggott. He entered Ouachita College in 1939. Hs ambition was to be lawyer like his dad, but in an afternoon vesper service he surrendered his life to the ministry.
Wayne Ward had lots of talents -- music, voice and academics, to name a few. It was in the area of public speaking that he and I went head to head.
I saw a notice on the school bulletin board for a speaker's contest. They were seeking debate team members. We drew our subjects out of a box. Mine was "Socialized Medicine in England." Wayne drew one entitled "The Future of the American Home."
I had a hill to climb and so off to the library. The judge for the contest would be Mrs. J.R. grant, wife of the college president. I had just started dating her daughter. Would that help? She was an honest judge and Wayne won the contest.
She spent some time telling me "it was a tough decision" but I was doubtful, even with her diplomatic approach. I had to wonder, if the subjects had been reversed, would I have had a chance? Probably not.
Wayne graduated with honors and enrolled at Southern Baptist Seminary. His skills were recognized and he was later invited to join the faculty.
While at Ouachita he managed to get an old car and took a load of students to Little Rock. The going fee for a round trip was one dollar.
Juanita Gill Hatfield told me of this incident: They ran out of gas 10 miles from Arkadelphia at dusk. He took an offering among the passengers and managed 25 cents, the cost of one gallon of fuel. A little filling station nearby was closed for the night but the proprietor lived next door. Wayne managed to get the fellow to open up and put a gallon of gas into the car. They made it in.
There is more, much more. He was invited by Immanuel Baptist of Little Rock to be interim pastor when W.O. Vaught retired. The church flew him round trip from Louisville, Ken.
He met a young politician named Bill Clinton and counseled with him. This grew into a friendship which later resulted in him and his wife spending the night in the White House.
Mighty oaks from acorns grow.
The Rev. Andrew Hall was pastor of First Baptist Church in Fayetteville from 1953 to 1970.
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