A Look Back on HSU’s Class of 1969

(ABILENE, Texas)–On Monday and Tuesday, Hardin-Simmons welcomed the class of 1969 back to campus for their Golden Reunion. The two-day event provided HSU alumni with the opportunity to rekindle old friendships through community meals, a campus tour, and a private concert by the World Famous Cowboy Band.

The world remembers 1969 as a year of progress and growth. Back when gas cost 35 cents per gallon, and a new house cost $15,500, the world seemed a complex place. With the Vietnam War in full swing, anti-war sentiment continued to spread. The year, however, was also one of innovation. Approximately one billion people watched as American Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon. “Woodstock” took over a New York farm, where over 400,000 attendees flocked to see artists like the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, and the Beatles. Full of hope for a new tomorrow, the Hardin-Simmons class of ‘69 graduated in May to venture into the world and provide the promise of Christ’s love well beyond the Forty Acres.

University Queen Jan Wilson is serenaded after being crowned by President Skiles.

On campus, HSU’s class of ‘69 saw the completion of the Sid Richardson Science Center and plans for the new Richardson Library. Class President Larry English worked alongside Vice President James Gooch, Secretary Nancy Kesler, and Treasurer Dean Boyd to keep HSU’s senior class on track.

The ROTC class had grown to 153 members, the Rifle Team traveled both to the Fourth Army Championship Match at Fort Hood and the Fiesta Flambeau Match at San Antonio, and the Rodeo Club sponsored 23rd Annual Collegiate Rodeo during western week.

The fine arts programs shone, as the Concert Choir toured New Orleans following graduation. They performed for notable audiences at the Saint Charles Avenue Baptist Church, Southern Baptist Music Conference, and for the Southern Baptist Convention. The school of music hosted the “Music in Our Times” festival, while the Frost Center for the Visual Arts gained a new outdoor sculpture garden.

Judy Durham and Larry English were voted Senior Favorites by their peers.

During Parent’s Weekend, social clubs Tau Alpha Phi and Tri Phi took home gold in the men’s and women’s divisions of the annual SING competition. Jan Wilson, the President of women’s social club, Delta, won the title of University Queen, as Judy Durham and Larry English won Senior Favorites through a vote conducted by their peers. The Senior Debate Team, consisting of Jane and Judy Hix, took third place at the St Louis debate tournament in the spring semester.

Baseball was reinstated after its dissolution 11 years prior. The team’s debut game against Texas Tech brought spectators from many surrounding communities. The basketball team of ’68 defeated Pan American College in their Homecoming game. In intramurals, men’s social club Sigma Delta Sigma won their sixth football championship in a row after going undefeated in the ’68 season.

HSU students took a stand, politically, as Alpha Phi Omega and the Political Science Department joined forces to host a Mock Presidential Election; Nixon won with a 3:1 margin. Student Congress passed bills concerning a student forum, a policy for class dues collection, improvements in parking zones, evaluation of courses, change of dress for the SUB, and a coffeehouse for HSU students.

Travel became an unofficial theme for the year, as students and faculty participated in mission trips around the globe. Students traveled to Indiana for a fourth consecutive year, and to Harlingen in the Rio Grande River Valley. In the summer of 1968, HSU President Elwin L. Skiles hosted “Miles and Miles with Skiles,” a 47-day trip around the world, where Dr. and Mrs. Skiles accompanied 26 students to visit HSU graduates. Back at home, HSU’s international students formed International Club.

Attendees of the 2019 Golden Reunion festivities attend chapel in Logsdon Chapel.