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Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, TX


http://www.jarvis.edu/index.htm

JARVIS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

In the beginning, the Jarvis Christian College founders wanted to establish a school for Negro children, or as it was written in earlier documents – “To keep up and maintain a school for the elevation and education of the Negro race.” With that in mind, Major J.J. Jarvis, who was greatly influenced by his wife, Ida Van Zandt Jarvis, working in conjunction with the Christian Women’s Board of Missions, in 1910 donated 456 acres of land for a school. As Major Jarvis said many, many years ago about establishing the school –“The purpose will be to educate head, heart and hand and to produce useful citizens and earnest Christians.” The idea was to educate the head through education, the heart through religion, and the hand through hard work.

Today, 90 years later, Jarvis Christian College forefathers and mothers would be proud to know that, the small, liberal arts college that began in one room with 12 students is still educating students in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Now currently diverse, the mainstay of the institution remains providing a quality education for all students. The official seal bear the words Christianity, service, knowledge and industry, which are still contemporary concepts shared with students today. The current president, Dr. Sebetha Jenkins, the first woman president to lead the College, continues her strong leadership by educating students, in her own challenging way, and preparing them to become productive and useful citizens who will contribute positively to society. The mission of Jarvis Christian College is, “To prepare students intellectually, socially, and personally to function effectively in a global and technological society.

Jarvis Christian College has a rich history that can be summarized through the following historical highlights.

1904 -- The Negro Disciples of Christ in Texas, spearheaded by State Organizer Mrs. Mary Alphin, in conjunction with the Christian Women’s Board of Missions, begins plans for a school for Black youth.

1910 – Mrs. Ida Van Zandt Jarvis persuades her husband, Major J.J. Jarvis, to deed 456 acres of land near Hawkins to the Christian Women’s Board of Missions.

1912 – Mr. Thomas Buchanan Frost serves as the first superintendent. Mr. Charles A. Berry is the first principal.

1913 – Formal instruction program begins with an enrollment of 12 students, all in the elementary grades.

1914 – Mr. James Nelson Ervin begins his 24-year tenure as the first president. High school subjects are added and the campus becomes one of the few East Texas schools in which Black youth may complete a high school education, and the only accredited Black high school in the Hawkins area.

1916 – Junior college courses are offered and by 1927, they are included in the regular curriculum.

1928 – The school incorporates as a college, and in 1937 senior college courses are introduced.

1938 – Mr. Peter C. Washington begins his 11-year tenure as the second president. High school classes are eliminated as the school, with a state charter, moves into upper level instruction in the arts and sciences.

1939 – The Clarence Robinson Building is constructed. The building was remodeled in 1976 to become the current Alumni Heritage House.

1949 – Dr. John B. Eubanks is named executive vice president. He introduces a general education program, which hastens recognition of the College by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1950. Dr. Eubanks was named the third president of Jarvis in 1951, serving until 1953.

1953 – Dr. Cleo Walker Blackburn begins his 11-year tenure as the fourth president of the College. In those eleven years, several buildings were constructed, including the Ida V. Jarvis Student Center, the James Aborne Health Center, the Barton-Zeppa Agro-Industrial Buildings, and four dormitories.

1965 – The Olin Library and Communication Center opens.

1966 – Dr. James O. Perpener, Jr. becomes the fifth president of Jarvis and the first alumnus to be appointed to the office. The College achieves membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and the Charles A. Meyer Science and Mathematics Center opens.

1970 – Four additional dormitories are completed and the Commons Building opens.

1971 – Dr. John Paul Jones becomes acting president and is appointed the sixth president in 1972.

1976 – Alumnus and former dean, Dr. Earl Wadsworth Rand, becomes the seventh president. The Advanced Summer Enrichment Program (ASEP) begins.

1978 – The Gladys A. Gill Early Childhood and Education Center opens. The Southern Christian Institute National Alumni and Ex-Students Association merges with the JCC National Alumni and Ex-Students Association.

1979 – The E. W. Rand Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center is dedicated soon after Dr. Rand retires.

1980 – Dr. Charles A. Berry, Jr., another alumnus, and son of the first principal, becomes the eighth president.

1983 – The J. N. Ervin Religion and Culture Center, consisting of the Smith-Howard Chapel and the Peoples-Dickson religion building, is completed.

1986 – Two additional residence halls are dedicated as well as a twelve-unit, student-parent apartment complex in 1988.

1988 – Dr. Julius Franklin Nimmons, Jr. is named ninth president. The first white fence at front of the campus is erected. During his administration, the College is involved in an extensive review and assessment of its total operation.

1991 – Dr. Sebetha Jenkins becomes the tenth and first woman president. She establishes a campus beautification project. The College receives reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in December 1993. Major renovations and capital improvements occurred in 1993 and 1994. Implementation of a campus-wide computer network system and distance/learning laboratory.

2000 -- Jarvis crosses the Digital Divide and becomes a completely wired campus with fully operable Internet capabilities. Jarvis also becomes technologically competitive with larger, majority institutions.

2002 – Jarvis celebrates its 90-year anniversary and the first 10-years of leadership under President Jenkins. The U.S. News and World Report lists Jarvis as one of the best small schools in America for the second consecutive year.