H. A. Dixon and Freed-Hardeman College

Not much secondary literature has been published through the years about H. A. Dixon (1904-1969). But I'm willing to argue that Dixon's successful presidency at Freed-Hardeman College (from 1950 to 1969), was absolutely crucial to the survival and growth of the school. Without Dixon's credibility, integrity, and stalwart leadership, there is no telling what might have become of Freed-Hardeman, located in Henderson, Tennessee.

In 1950, many thousands of people knew and loved N. B. Hardeman, Dixon's predecessor. Hardeman's long list of friends, some of them quite wealthy, had kept the college financially sound, with hundreds of students in attendance over many years. However, due to a crisis of confidence and the abrupt end of Hardeman's presidency in 1950, when Dixon became the next president, the college was in uncharted waters.

Apparently, Hardeman, who turned 76 that year, was distracted by a student protest and opposition at the college that bore his name. This impacted the financial well-being of F-HC. In his article on "Freed-Hardeman University," Mark W. Hamilton was right to say that by 1950, N. B. Hardeman had "placed the school on a sound financial footing" (Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, 344). That was true as far as it went. Yet, there is more to the story.

During Hardeman's presidency, money had been a critical issue, as it always is especially for private schools. And through the years, Hardeman had gathered a large number of donations for the college. But it certainly seems that in 1950, questions about what was going on at Henderson and uncertainty about the school's future meant that the flow of financial support for the college slowed to a trickle. This seems to be the only explanation for something Louise Cowan Dixon, H. A.'s widow, told me in 1988. She said that when her husband became the new president of the school, he was shocked to learn that the college's operating fund contained a grand total of $2,000.

She also said that, although H. A. Dixon became the new president under circumstances nobody foresaw, Hardeman had on more than one occasion suggested to Dixon that he should be the next president of the school. Hardeman's judgment was sound. When Dixon assumed his new role, very few people among the Churches of Christ enjoyed the same level of admiration and respect. Very few people could have taken on the mantle of N. B. Hardeman to advance Freed-Hardeman over the next nineteen years as H. A. Dixon did. Freed-Hardeman was fortunate to have had him ready and able to take on that task.

Some Time with Bill Humble

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to share lunch and to spend some time with Dr. Bill Humble, well-known among Churches of Christ as a historian, teacher, author, and international tour guide. For many years, he taught and served as an administrator at Abilene Christian University.

So what is he up to these days? At nearly 87 years old, he still walks about a mile and a half every morning, six days a week. When the weather is bad, he uses the treadmill.

He has given away almost all of his personal library. Only a few dozen volumes remain. He says that his days of deep study are over. He doesn't actively research anything anymore. That sort of thing "no longer holds the same attraction" for him. Of course, he reads a little, mostly in books or magazines that are available in large print. It helps that the head of the nearby branch of the public library just happens to be one of his former students. She is able to get him a large-print copy of most any book he wants to read.

He told me that he spends some time almost every day working on his memoirs. His daughter insisted that he write up at least some of his remarkable experiences. But he emphasized that these would be only for his immediate family. With that, he read to me a beautiful passage about how he, a first-year college student from the hills of Missouri, sat and listened as 70-year-old N. B. Hardeman spoke about his time in the Holy Land. That, said Bill, was the beginning of many trips that he would eventually make to Israel and to other parts of the world.

His wife, Geraldine "Jerry" Humble, died in March of this year. Their son, Eric, passed away about three years ago. It can't be easy for Bill anymore. Yet he remains cheerful and his mind is still sharp. I sat and talked with him, feeling lucky, thankful for the opportunity to be in the presence of this great man.