The Reddie Spirit

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		What is the Reddie Spirit? The Reddie Spirit was born on a tragic morning in the town of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. This small town was (and still is) home to two major colleges, Henderson-Brown College (was a Methodist institution; now Henderson State University, a public institution) and Ouachita Baptist College (now Ouachita Baptist University).
		The year was 1914. It was a chilly morning in southwest Arkansas. The college students of Henderson-Brown were mostly still asleep in the pre-dawn hours of that third day of February. An employee noticed a fire burning in the kitchen of Main Hall, the schools primary structure that included library and classroom space as well as female housing for the small Methodist college.	Main Hall, the current site of the South Lawn, in the Fire of 1914
		"The Bell" that was used to signal class changes was used to awaken the residents of Main Hall. The male students, most of whom lived in houses near campus, began to gather at their school. They immediately started getting their female classmates out of the burning structure. Once all the girls were safe and secure, the men returned to salvage what they could from the Main building. Remarkably, they saved numerous pianos, trunks full of personal belongings, and the entire school library collection of some 3,000 volumes.	"The Bell" on Henderson's South Lawn
		By the time the Arkadelphia Fire Department made it to Henderson, it was too late. That morning, Main Hall and most of the campus burned to the ground. Henderson-Brown students seemingly had two options: transfer to across-the-street rival Ouachita Baptist or go home. The students, however, had different plans. They had such a great love and passion for there school that they vowed to rebuild it. Classes resumed the very next day - students took it upon themselves to organize classes on the lawn where Main Hall once stood, beneath the stalwart pine trees which still stand today. Ouachita Baptist offered the school the use of some of its grounds for classes, and local churches also opened their doors to the school. Within weeks, Henderson had a new temporary dining hall constructed thanks to funds raised by the community, the students, and the local churches. Main Hall was replaced with College Hall in time, and the school continued to grow. The mascot of Henderson has been some form of the color Red since at least 1908, and no other color could better portray the courage and pride exhibited by its students. Overtime, the name was altered to Reddies. After the fire of 1914, the students had nothing left to cling to except the bond that brought them all to Arkadelphia in the first place - they were all Reddies. The spirit that saw them through the tough fire and reconstruction was dubbed the "Reddie Spirit." Since the fire, a lot has changed at Henderson, including its name. Henderson-Brown College was turned over to the state of Arkansas in 1929 resulting in Henderson State Teachers College. HSTC became today's Henderson State University, a regional center of academic excellence.
		The Reddie Spirit draws students to HSU every year. When Henderson celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1990, the student body presented its beloved school with "The Centurium," a structure that takes the place of a fountain that once stood in front of Main Hall. The South Lawn, which was the site of Main Hall, is now scenic green space with walking trails, benches, and the same stalwart pine trees that the students of Henderson-Brown held classes under nearly 100 years ago.	The Centurium on Henderson's South Lawn

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This site was last updated 10/24/05