Scholarship
honors memory of alumnus, police officer Jonathan Hardin
by Rick Woodall
J
ONATHAN HARDIN (04C) was
many things to many people. To Berry students, he was the fresh-faced campus police officer who could be counted on to use the college’s electronic entry system to open a residence hall door with the click of a mouse – even while serving on a mission trip half a world away. For his fellow officers in campus safety, he was the dependable support services manager with a knack for electronics and an encyclopedic knowledge of Berry. Faculty member Harry Musselwhite remembers the student with the “beautiful bassbaritone voice” who enjoyed performing American spirituals, while Campus Carrier alumni of the day recall the fellow staff member willing to risk a speeding ticket to deliver the paper to the printing plant on time. To parents Randy and Nita, Hardin was all these things and more, a loving son of tremendous faith and character who passed away all too soon in March 2012 – eight weeks shy of his 30th birthday – of natural causes related to diabetes. It’s impossible to separate Hardin’s life from his relation ship with Berry, which began at age 7 as a participant (and later counselor) at Camp WinShape. His involvement grew as a communication major and recipient of the WinShape College Program Scholarship. Early in his law enforcement career, he jumped at the chance
24
BERRY MAGAZINE • SPRING 2013
to return to the campus he loved. Along the way, he became “the walking Wikipedia,” in the words of Maj. Jonathan Baggett, possessing vast knowledge of Berry and its history. “He would have made a good tour guide,” father Randy noted. “You didn’t want to get into Trivial Pursuit about Berry with him. He forgot more about Berry than I’ll ever know.” As friends and family sought an appropriate way to honor Hardin’s memory, it seemed only natural that Berry be involved.
When a scholarship was suggested by a colleague, Randy and Nita knew it was the perfect thing. “We were all for it,” Nita said. “With all that was going on, it hadn’t occurred to us that we could do that. I knew that there were these kinds of things, but I thought it was only people with millions of dollars who gave.” To date, gifts and pledges totalling more than $17,000 have been received in support of the $25,000 Jonathan Randall Hardin Endowed Scholarship
Fund. When completed, the scholarship will be awarded annually to a work program participant with strong financial need. “We want someone else to be able to experience Berry,” his mother said. B Editor’s Note: Contributions to Jon Hardin’s scholarship can be made at www.berry.edu/gift or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 490069, Mount Berry, GA 30149. Designate your gift to the Jonathan Randall Hardin Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Legacy at work by Rick Woodall
H
ARRY WISE (57H) had a
strong belief in Berry’s student work program and a willingness to contribute to its success in the future. What he didn’t have – as a retiree living on a fixed income – was the flexibility to make a significant contribution right away. The solution was both simple and far-reaching – an estate gift that will help Berry students in the future while preserving financial security today. By listing Berry as a beneficiary in their will, Wise and wife Ginna
were able to designate support for the future establishment of the $50,000 Haron and Virginia Wise Firsthand4You Senior CoChair Endowed Work Position. When fulfilled, this commitment will help ensure that funding is always available for this supervisory-level work position in the college’s student philanthropy program. As president of the Berry Alumni Association, Wise is pleased to be able to build on the notable growth in Berry Heritage Society membership
Harry and Ginna Wise
(signifying those who have made an estate gift to Berry) that took place among Alumni Council representatives in 2011-12 under the leadership of his predecessor,