“This is a big day,” whispered Christina Thornton, a PHC student from Nashville, as she and other volunteers set up folding chairs in front of the college’s beautiful new building. It was dedication day, and the college would soon make history.
People came from across the country to celebrate the founding of Patrick Henry College. The weather was near perfect on that September 30th fall day. Ninety students and their families had traveled to Purcellville earlier in the week for two full days of orientation. Now they were getting ready to participate in a ceremony that would mark a new beginning in Christian higher education and a new chapter in their lives.
Approximately 1,000 visitors traveled to the college’s 40-acre campus that day. It was the culmination of five years of prayerful preparation and hard work. Students, their families, PHC supporters and elected officials from all over the commonwealth of Virginia witnessed the founding of a dream as the college was dedicated to Christ.
The Ceremony began at 2 p.m. with a faculty procession led by PHC student Jeremy Sewall, who played “I’m Abandoned to the Captain” on the bagpipes. Congressman Jim Ryun, the former track and field Olympian from Kansas, gave the invocation. Next was the Presentation of Colors by the Purcellville American Legion, followed by a boy scout-led Pledge of Allegiance.
Jack Haye, PHC’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, was the Master of Ceremonies for the afternoon, and he introduced a line up of distinguished speakers that included Virginia’s Governor James Gilmore, Lieutenant Governor John Hager, Attorney General Mark Earley and best-selling author Dr. Tim LaHaye. The program also featured Joanna Kurlowich, a PHC student from South Carolina, who commended her fellow students and challenged them to godly excellence.
Perhaps the most important moment of the ceremony was the installation of Dr. Michael Farris as the first president of Patrick Henry College. It was fitting that Mike’s longtime friend and co-laborer at Home School Legal Defense Association, Michael Smith, would officiate this part of the program.
It was President Farris’s turn to present his challenge to the students in a moving speech that lasted about 15 minutes. Next, Dr. Farris and PHC Trustee Barbara Hodel unveiled the cornerstone, which says, “The Year of our Lord 2000.” Dr. Farris and Mrs. Hodel proceeded to cut the ribbon that was wrapped around the inside two columns of the front of the building.
Just before the Benediction, about 30 PHC students gathered on the front steps of the building, behind the platform, to sing a beautiful hymn that was composed just days earlier by their fellow students, Michael Daniels and Abigail Hackman. The hymn is called “For Such A Time As This,” and the lyrics are available here.
A reception and open house were held inside the main building at the conclusion of the program from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. A special exhibit called “Rebels With A Vision” was on display during the open house; it included original historical letters, manuscripts and documents. The custodian of the exhibit presented interesting facts and stories about our Founding Fathers and the American Revolution.
Needless-to-say, it was a full day that will not soon be forgotten. There was a sense of excitement in the air, in part because of the day’s activities, but more importantly, because Patrick Henry College was no longer just a dream. And Miss Thornton said it best—it was a very big day indeed.
