The Beginning of Conway Corporation

The way things were. (or when a speech was still a speech)

In November, 1928, overseers of the Methodist-owned and financially-strapped educational institutions of Hendrix (Conway) and Henderson-Brown (Arkadelphia) announced plans to merge and relocate the two colleges. A state-wide location debate was soon underway with not only Conway and Arkadelphia trying to retain their colleges, but with Pine Bluff and Little Rock both vying for the proposed merger to relocate in their cities. Pledges and promises were made by all. On January 15, 1929, Conway made an offer of $250,000 to the Methodist board in exchange for assurance that Hendrix College would be permanently located in Conway. On March 12, 1929, the college board met in Little Rock and accepted Conway's offer. It was now up to the citizens of Conway to devise a means of supplying the promised funds.

A town meeting was held; a committee selected and, eventually, a recommendation was made. An article, printed in the April 20, 1929, issue of the Log Cabin Democrat, besides giving a detailed account of the previous night's town meeting, printed in full the committee's recommendation and the introductory statement of its chairman. The two, plus the final resolution, are excerpted below.

(The president of Conway's Chamber of Commerce,) Mr. (Jo) Frauenthal's statement in presenting the report of the committee on ways and means was as follows:

"Members of the Chamber of Commerce and Fellow Citizens Generally:

"You recall, of course, the recent occurrences in connection with the contemplated removal of Hendrix College. You have not forgotten the apprehension of disaster that it created. How intense was the premonition of misfortune, and how suddenly the peril was obvious. And it was not lightly regarded, for your Chamber of Commerce decided to meet the situation, attack it boldly and with resolution, not blindly overlooking the danger, but courageously seeing it and conquering it. The (outworks) were carried, but only a partial victory was gained, and now a truce prevails. Our friendly foes required certain promises before surrendering, and, confidently relying on you to redeem and fulfill them, we acceded.

"And now, my friends, the reason for calling you together is clearly apparent. We want your approval, and in homely words, we want you to 'back us up.' Our honor is at stake, our integrity of purpose must not be questioned.

"We wish your support not only in this, but ask you to minister to the other afflicted schools in our midst. The future of our city hangs upon your sanction of our plan and your assistance in carrying them out. It will require a fortune, and while I believe your devotion to the city's interest would induce you to bear any burden, this sacrifice is not contemplated if you approve our plans. We could go to each of you for a hundred, a thousand, for five and ten thousand, and you would give it. The method thought out will not directly cost you a cent. We only want your enthusiastic good wishes for what we have devised and your concurrence in ultimate shaping of the plan . . . .

"The progress of our city, its future, its very life blood depends upon your action. We talk of other things, we strive for smokestacks, which we hope will come -- we vision derricks and streams of oil -- but we know what we now have.

"To conserve these valuable assets, I beseech you to embrace in principle the plan we offer. The chance may not come again. Failure would be lamentable, and the retrospect of life, my friends, swarms with lost opportunities.

"With your permission, I will now read the committee's report, and I assure you that a free and frank discussion will be welcome." . . . ."Mr. Jo Frauenthal, president of Chamber of Commerce, Conway:

"The committee, which a mass meeting of citizens of Conway on April 8 requested you to appoint for the purpose of devising ways and means of providing the bonus pledged by the Chamber of Commerce for meeting the proposal submitted to the board of trustees of Methodist college in Arkansas to assist the board in solving its financial problems, desires to submit the following report:

"We find that under conditions of the pledge given by the Chamber of Commerce and accepted by the Methodist board by which a total of $250,000 is to be raised by Conway, it is necessary that $150,000 in cash, labor and material be provided for buildings on the Hendrix campus, when and as soon as the board shall have secured $300,000 for the endowment fund of the college and thus also bring to that fund an additional $150,000 which has been proffered by the General Education Board of New York. As the conditions of the last named gift must be met by July 1 next, it is apparent that the board of trustees must provide its $300,000 before that date. Thus the importance of immediate action by our citizens is obvious. It is furthermore our information and belief that should the citizens of Conway fail to comply with the conditions of the proposal submitted by them through their Chamber of Commerce and accepted by the board, the matter of relocation of the merged institution will again be opened and that, if this should occur, an offer from Little Rock that will be acceptable to the board of trustees will be submitted.

"We also find that not only will $250,000 be required to secure the permanent location of the merged Hendrix-Henderson College for Conway, but that other educational institutions of this city are in dire needs of funds, a fact which our citizens should take into account at this time. It was publicly declared last week in a statement from the officers of the board of trustees and the state Baptist convention that Central College is burdened with a floating indebtedness of approximately $50,000 . . . . (A recounting of the financial needs of the city's other educational institutions, including State Teachers College (UCA) and St. Joseph's Parochial schools followed.)

"The situation, therefore, which confronts us today is that, unless at least $300,000 in cash be provided immediately, Conway will lose two of its oldest and most valued institutions, Hendrix and Central College. This would be a disaster from which the city could never fully recover. . . . Conway has arrived at a crisis in her history.

"It is the deliberate judgment of this committee and we believe of practically all our citizens that unless the suggested minimum sum of $200,000 is raised here immediately, Conway will suffer financially worse, except for the loss of life, than if visited by a tornado or configuration of the severest type. Following a disaster of flame or wind, a town that is alive will rebuild a better town than existed before. Conway is built around her colleges; to remove any of them would ... leave her ... crippled, if not doomed to die and impair, if not destroy, the civic pride and ambition essential to progress. . . .

"On the other hand, provision of a sum of this approximate amount would practically assure a rapid and permanent growth and an increasing prosperity for Conway. The city would soon become one of the great educational centers of the south. The money contributed therefore, will prove to be a most productive investment. The erection of new buildings will give employment to labor as well as afford a market for materials.

"Your committee, realizing the enormous importance to Conway's welfare of heroically and generously meeting this critical situation, has given careful study to practical plans for raising of the large sum necessary at this time.

"The first plan that naturally suggests itself is the one . . . . (t)hat is a solicitation for personal subscriptions or donations. If all citizens could be induced to contribute in accordance with their ability and the emergency of the situation, if all were equally aroused to, the plan might be successful. Yet the committee, after a careful survey and after consultation with many leading citizens, is forced to the conclusion that a campaign to secure this sum by voluntary donations should not be conducted ... for the simple reason that it cannot be raised in cash within the limited time required. But with this initial sum provided, our citizens can mature plans more leisurely for caring for the balance.

"This brings us to outline briefly what we believe to be the only practicable plan that has been suggested for meeting the emergency.

"In its municipal electric light plant, the city of Conway has an asset of inestimable value -- one which has many times in past years bridged the city over financial crises. To it, in the belief of this committee, we must now turn in this major crisis. This plant has for several years been showing net earnings, above cost of operation, a liberal allowance for depreciation and approximately $15,000 annual free service to the city, of from $20,000 to $25,000 a year. The suggestion has been made, and after careful study by this committee it appears the only one that we can recommend, that the earnings of this municipal plant be capitalized over a period of years in the form of a bond issue which would provide the sum required immediately to retain and foster our educational institutions."

"Though many tedious details would have to be worked out, a cursory examination of it leads us to the belief that such a plan is both legal and practicable. Certainly it would effect as equitable a distribution of the burden which Conway must assume among all its citizens as any that could be devised. We believe that it can be put into operation, and we unreservedly, recommend its adoption."

... "to succeed (this plan) must be given whole-hearted and enthusiastic support by virtually all of the citizens. It must be backed by such a community spirit as has characterized Conway in all her great civic undertakings. It must be viewed in the light of the fact that if Conway fails to raise at once substantially as much money as she has given to secure colleges here in all the preceding years of her history, Conway will bring upon herself a disaster.

"As has been stated, this committee is able to suggest no other plan that seems feasible. It, therefore, submits this plan to you with the recommendation that it be presented to the citizens of Conway and that, if it appears to meet with popular approval, appropriate steps be taken by the Chamber of Commerce or some other organization of our citizens to put it into operation.

"Respectfully submitted,

"V.D. Hill,
"H. D. Russell,

"J.J. Hiegel
"J. Frank Jones,

"W.D. Cole,
"Fred Gordy

"Frank E. Robins

"Committee."

After the promised discussion, a resolution adopting the committee's plan and directing that a committee be appointed to put it into effect was carried by a unanimous standing vote.
(The resolution) follows:

"Be it resolved, that the members of the Conway Chamber of Commerce and citizens of Conway adopt and endorse the plan submitted by the committee for raising funds to meet the needs of educational institutions in Conway, and that we request the president of the Chamber of Commerce to appoint a committee to work out details of putting the plan into effect and to ascertain the amount which the municipal light plant may reasonably be expected to finance; such committee to be authorized to employ counsel, secure signatures to such petitions as may be necessary and to take any and all other steps required ...."
A committee was appointed to carry out a canvassing of the city asking voters favoring the proposed solution to sign a petition verifying their support.