My Memories of and Musings on HAC / FBCH

Justice1976 said:
Yes. I think that is a fair analogy of those times. I cannot speak for the female students, but for the males it was very much like a paramilitary organization. You were ordered what to do and expected to do it, with no push back. Vineyard carried this out further than anyone.
Click to expand...
I read a piece written in the early 70s by a Navy commander explaining, from his perspective, the rough treatment WOGS (the uninitiated) receive when becoming shellbacks. Given the fact that sailors are military personnel and thus must be ready to engage in combat at any time, men (no women at the time) should be man enough to endure such an initiation or else they prove they aren't fit for combat.

Very different than the mindset today but on a certain level, it does make sense. However, I cannot see how such would prove edifying in a college, let alone a Christian college environment.

I served five years active duty and eight years in the reserves. I avoided the rough stuff through all that time. Yes, I am a WOG. This is likely due to divine intervention because at the time, I did not have the mental fortitude to endure such hardship. Having matured mentally since then, I wonder if I'd stand up to something like that now... Physically, it would wreck me but I might be able to handle it mentally.

"Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." -- Yogi Berra.
 
abcaines said:
I read a piece written in the early 70s by a Navy commander explaining, from his perspective, the rough treatment WOGS (the uninitiated) receive when becoming shellbacks. Given the fact that sailors are military personnel and thus must be ready to engage in combat at any time, men (no women at the time) should be man enough to endure such an initiation or else they prove they aren't fit for combat.

Very different than the mindset today but on a certain level, it does make sense. However, I cannot see how such would prove edifying in a college, let alone a Christian college environment.

I served five years active duty and eight years in the reserves. I avoided the rough stuff through all that time. Yes, I am a WOG. This is likely due to divine intervention because at the time, I did not have the mental fortitude to endure such hardship. Having matured mentally since then, I wonder if I'd stand up to something like that now... Physically, it would wreck me but I might be able to handle it mentally.

"Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." -- Yogi Berra.
Click to expand...
I believe there is a legitimate purpose for that kind of training in the military. I believe people like Jim Vineyard did it because he COULD and he liked it. Again, in the end I thought less of Bro. Hyles for allowing Vineyard to operate as he did in those years. And in those years it was hard to get me to think less of Bro. Hyles, but that did it.
 
Since these are random musings, I thought about all the good hymns I was introduced to at FBC/HAC back then, that I had never heard in the little Baptist church of my youth. I still find myself humming some of those today from time to time and I think about the good things of that time. I am grateful.
 
Something else, not so good. Did anybody else get demerits and get "campused" at HAC? I did and it still perturbs me when I think about it. I won't say who my dorm inspector was because I otherwise liked him, but he kept writing me up that my bed wasn't made properly, which eventually got me campused. I can't remember all that entailed at the time.

I'm not saying my bed was perfect but it was decent. I mean, I was a good kid who actually wanted to be there in the mid seventies. I was not an "attitude" like some guys I knew...guys who actually DIDN'T want to be there for various reasons. Yet, there I was, trying and getting demerits and some of those cretins were doing all manner of crap! Fifty years later I still remember.
 
Justice1976 said:
Something else, not so good. Did anybody else get demerits and get "campused" at HAC? I did and it still perturbs me when I think about it. I won't say who my dorm inspector was because I otherwise liked him, but he kept writing me up that my bed wasn't made properly, which eventually got me campused. I can't remember all that entailed at the time.

I'm not saying my bed was perfect but it was decent. I mean, I was a good kid who actually wanted to be there in the mid seventies. I was not an "attitude" like some guys I knew...guys who actually DIDN'T want to be there for various reasons. Yet, there I was, trying and getting demerits and some of those cretins were doing all manner of crap! Fifty years later I still remember.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking that the mentality of Fundy zealots was, "If it works for the military, it'll work for us." I was somewhat zealous when I was a young and idealistic and a Bible thumping Baptist.

In 1990, as a newly promoted second class petty officer, (E-5) I experienced my first taste of supervision of a group who didn't want to be there. To my dismay, I found the only way I could get some to do anything was to adapt a D.I. mentality. I even had the first class over me encouraging me to keep up the hard [butt] approach, explaining that the only time I was being listened to was when I was when I was riding my guys down. Sadly I took a bit of that mentality into my current job which is being a school bus driver. It didn't work and kids were scared of me. It took a while for me to balance a softer approach with required firmness... In fact I'm still learning the finer points of achieving such balance.
 
Justice1976 said:
It is articles just like that that make me wonder what I was thinking fifty years ago. I guess the answer is that I wasn't thinking much at all. And that shames me.
Click to expand...
You were not alone. I suspect there were people in your life who encouraged you to attend. My youth director encouraged several of us to attend HAC.

In the 1970s, six of us from my home church in Texas traveled in an old Greyhound bus, which broke down on the way to Crown Point, Indiana. We had very little money in our pockets but lots of desire to serve God.

The year before, I attended an Intro to Psych class at my local university. Mr. Mitchell would not let those 3 credits transfer. He had me take Mrs. Evans' class instead. She started the class with, "Rejoice in the Lord Always".

One of the guys from my home church sat nearby and said, "Jesus wept," quietly. He left with his girlfriend the following year in hopes of attending Tennessee Temple. They were married soon after and had children who are in the ministry and have tons of grandkids.

The chapel was packed for Mrs. Evans' class. I guess they wanted every student to attend her class, but I still wonder why.

In the winter, we were all called to the same chapel and were told Bro. Sallee was killed in a car accident. We wept.

I will never forget Mrs. Sallee singing, "Everything's All Right in my Father's House" at Bro. Hyles' request one Sunday night in church. The overcrowded church auditorium was hushed as she sang it beautifully.

Later, I dug into campus life, determined not to quit, worked a bus route, worked in the kitchen, attended all the FBCH services, had a bus kid throw up on me once. I was exhausted, but I finished. I fell asleep every night during the required dorm devotionals and in church as I sat in the back row.

We all gave it our best or left for higher ground as soon as we could.

Nothing to be ashamed of. Wish I had chosen an accredited college for sure. It would have changed everything.

Excuse the walk down memory lane. I have more life in the past than I do in the future.
 
Jo said:
You were not alone. I suspect there were people in your life who encouraged you to attend. My youth director encouraged several of us to attend HAC.

In the 1970s, six of us from my home church in Texas traveled in an old Greyhound bus, which broke down on the way to Crown Point, Indiana. We had very little money in our pockets but lots of desire to serve God.

The year before, I attended an Intro to Psych class at my local university. Mr. Mitchell would not let those 3 credits transfer. He had me take Mrs. Evans' class instead. She started the class with, "Rejoice in the Lord Always".

One of the guys from my home church sat nearby and said, "Jesus wept," quietly. He left with his girlfriend the following year in hopes of attending Tennessee Temple. They were married soon after and had children who are in the ministry and have tons of grandkids.

The chapel was packed for Mrs. Evans' class. I guess they wanted every student to attend her class, but I still wonder why.

In the winter, we were all called to the same chapel and were told Bro. Sallee was killed in a car accident. We wept.

I will never forget Mrs. Sallee singing, "Everything's All Right in my Father's House" at Bro. Hyles' request one Sunday night in church. The overcrowded church auditorium was hushed as she sang it beautifully.

Later, I dug into campus life, determined not to quit, worked a bus route, worked in the kitchen, attended all the FBCH services, had a bus kid throw up on me once. I was exhausted, but I finished. I fell asleep every night during the required dorm devotionals and in church as I sat in the back row.

We all gave it our best or left for higher ground as soon as we could.

Nothing to be ashamed of. Wish I had chosen an accredited college for sure. It would have changed everything.

Excuse the walk down memory lane. I have more life in the past than I do in the future.
Click to expand...
Jo, just reading your post makes me tired now! Yes, we were living versions of the same life in the seventies. I have tried to forgive my youthfulness, but am prone to bouts of "what if?" I must believe that all of the parts of my story were part of God's divine plan for my life and as the old song says "we'll understand it in the by and by". Wow. What memories!
 
Jo said:
Sad to say, I don't remember it. When did they typically do that? Sunday mornings? How often?
Click to expand...
I believe that they did it on any fifth Sunday of a month at the close of the Sunday evening service, which means a couple of times a year. A lot of Baptist churches did it then. I'm not sure why.

I still remember how Bro. Hyles would take a photo of his father out of his wallet and illustrate the the Lord's Supper was done as a picture to "remember" the Lord, the way he would remember his father by looking at a photo.
 
I'm almost sure it was observed on a 1st Sunday morning most of the time. When there was a 5th Sunday (four times a year) it was observed on Sunday night. Hyles would occasionally mention it was to accommodate shift workers and also those who worked in the nursery on Sunday mornings. During my time 81-87, it was done during the service, prior to (but not immediately before) the message.
 
Last edited:
Baptist City Holdout said:
I'm almost sure it was observed on a 1st Sunday morning most of the time. When there was a 5th Sunday (four times a year) it was observed on Sunday night. Hyles would occasionally mention it was to accommodate shift workers and also those who worked in the nursery on Sunday mornings. During my time 81-87, it was done during the service, prior to (but not immediately before) the message.
Click to expand...
Correct.... 1st Sunday morning of the month and the 5th Sunday night, for those who wouldn't be in the morning services due to work or working in other ministries and unable to attend the morning church services.

Bro Hyles was at his best while officiating funerals and observing the Lord's Supper. It was sad when he stopped baptizing...for the last 18 years or so of his pastorate, FBC children weren't able to be baptized by their pastor. He had stopped baptizing in the morning services in 1973 or so (we were still meeting in the old auditorium) and in the early 80's, he stopped baptizing in the evening services.
 
Last edited:
Jo said:
You were not alone. I suspect there were people in your life who encouraged you to attend. My youth director encouraged several of us to attend HAC.

In the 1970s, six of us from my home church in Texas traveled in an old Greyhound bus, which broke down on the way to Crown Point, Indiana. We had very little money in our pockets but lots of desire to serve God.

The year before, I attended an Intro to Psych class at my local university. Mr. Mitchell would not let those 3 credits transfer. He had me take Mrs. Evans' class instead. She started the class with, "Rejoice in the Lord Always".

One of the guys from my home church sat nearby and said, "Jesus wept," quietly. He left with his girlfriend the following year in hopes of attending Tennessee Temple. They were married soon after and had children who are in the ministry and have tons of grandkids.

The chapel was packed for Mrs. Evans' class. I guess they wanted every student to attend her class, but I still wonder why.

In the winter, we were all called to the same chapel and were told Bro. Sallee was killed in a car accident. We wept.

I will never forget Mrs. Sallee singing, "Everything's All Right in my Father's House" at Bro. Hyles' request one Sunday night in church. The overcrowded church auditorium was hushed as she sang it beautifully.

Later, I dug into campus life, determined not to quit, worked a bus route, worked in the kitchen, attended all the FBCH services, had a bus kid throw up on me once. I was exhausted, but I finished. I fell asleep every night during the required dorm devotionals and in church as I sat in the back row.

We all gave it our best or left for higher ground as soon as we could.

Nothing to be ashamed of. Wish I had chosen an accredited college for sure. It would have changed everything.

Excuse the walk down memory lane. I have more life in the past than I do in the future.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing.
 
Baptist City Holdout said:
I never understood Speech Class. We were given topics to give speeches on. There were male student devotions each class, and we got grades. I got a C for the class. Oh well.
Click to expand...
While I thought Mrs. Evans was a pretty sharp person, I remember taking that class in the old dining hall and pretty much getting nothing from it. Looking back on those days, I'm not sure if Marlene was that great. She was very different and very confident for the ladies her age that I had been previously introduced to. I was a little turned off by her "entourage" and how one of her minions would always come in and begin the class and then she would make her grand entrance. I have no evidence of this, but I always thought that she was the "power person" of that marriage and that Wendell was tagging along behind.

I would be interested to know how some of our female folks viewed her.
 
  • TRUTH!
Reactions: Jo
Memory: In the Fall of 1976 I helped Dave Hyles with a haunted house for Halloween at the old youth center. I think it had been a Catholic church once. We had the strobe lights, live rodents and reptiles, chainsaws, live performers, etc. I thought it was the grandest production I had ever seen of it's type at that time. The man had skills if he could have humbled himself. It's a tragedy of a story.
 
Justice1976 said:
Memory: In the Fall of 1976 I helped Dave Hyles with a haunted house for Halloween at the old youth center. I think it had been a Catholic church once. We had the strobe lights, live rodents and reptiles, chainsaws, live performers, etc. I thought it was the grandest production I had ever seen of it's type at that time. The man had skills if he could have humbled himself. It's a tragedy of a story.
Click to expand...
Really... IFBs celebrating the devil's holiday 🤔
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top