Tales from the Tunnels

[BALAAM]

So why did Jack Hyles feel the need to lock down the campus as tight as an airport?

Way too many new IFBs were being created unexpectedly.

Not too good at a no sex before marriage institution.

Made a complete mockery of the image portrayed for the students parents.

Way too much reproducing of new Christians going on.

I don't really understand this BG.

 

[bgwilkinson]

The Day Dr. Hyles “Lost” Hyles Anderson College

A while back Dr. Bob Gray wrote and printed a book about the principles of Dr. Jack Hyles. In it Bro. Gray wrote and expounded on all the Principles he learned over the years sitting at the feet of Dr. Jack Hyles. I own a copy. It makes some interesting reading, although the chapters pertaining to Jack Schaap are really meaningless now. In the book Gray tells all sorts of stories. What he learned from Jack Hyles as a student. What he learned from Jack Hyles going to hear him in conferences. What he learned from Jack Hyles when Jack Hyles would come preach for him. What he learned from Jack Hyles while traveling with him. The point of this is that he learned principles from Jack Hyles.

In one of the chapters he tells the story of how Jack Hyles counseled him on an important matter. The story goes that Bob Gray had purchased land to build a permanent location for his Texas Baptist College (now known as Texas IBS, what an acronym) at a location away from his church. When he asked Dr. Hyles about doing this Dr. Hyles told him not to do it. When Gray asked for a reason Jack Hyles stated, “Dr. Gray, I have lost Hyles Anderson College.” In the book the story stops there. No more explanation.

Raider quoted this piece on the old forum when this book was published and many expressed skepticism about what he was talking about and what Dr. Hyles meant. I mean Dr. Hyles losing Hyles Anderson College? It was his baby. He walked guard around it. He approved everything. How did that happen? What did he mean? I think that by taking the event that Bro. Gray was talking about, and the story I’m going to share, and comparing them, might be able to shed some light on why Jack Hyles told Bob Gray not to relocate his college and why he had lost HAC. According to Bro. Gray his story happened a short time after this one did.

It may just surprise some of the folks who constantly criticize Jack Hyles to know that not everyone who worked at Hyles Anderson College was 100% loyal to Jack Hyles. Now if you were a student, well you had better be 100% loyal to everything all the time. No exceptions. My sophomore year a friend of mine made a critical remark about something Dr. Hyles said in chapel. Within 15 minutes he was sitting in Wendell Evans’ office getting the grilling and chewing of his life. So the students had better toe the line.

Now staff members? Well that was a different story. They felt that they didn’t have to obey the same rules that students did. And they didn’t care if students knew. Staff members didn’t have to abide by the same dress code. (That’s another story for another time) They didn’t have to go to church. (Several stories) They didn’t have to be on time for things. (Another story) They didn’t have to go to chapel if they didn’t want to. (More stories) The dating rules didn’t apply to them. etc.

Well that started to change in 1988. In the spring of 1988 Hyles Anderson College became a closed campus. The doors were all alarmed and extra security was hired to handle the new measures. To get into any of the buildings you had to show an ID card. Dr. Hyles envisioned the security to be like a major airport. He wanted every person who passed through the doors to show an ID card. No exceptions. You had to show an ID card to get in the buildings. Dr. Hyles had a special chapel where he told students this is the way it will be. Don’t like it, too bad, go somewhere else. Students had to only use certain doors. Students were stuck. Ah, but staff. They still did what they wanted. They went out every door they wanted and came in any door they wanted. When confronted by a student security guard they would shrug and know that the student security guard could do nothing to them. They were, “On Staff.” And staff always outranked students and nothing would change that. This went on for a couple of years. Security learned to deal with the staff.  And you would be surprised at which staff snubbed their noses at the new procedures.

Things with security and staff came to a head in 1990. A security incident involving some people trying to get on campus who didn’t belong there was  brought to Dr. Hyles attention. In the course of  events he found out that staff wasn’t following his wishes regarding going through proper doors and showing ID cards. So he called a special staff meeting. (The following account of the meeting comes from a security guard who accompanied Dr. Hyles in that meeting)

Dr. Hyles thought that just by asking and being nice he could stop the behavior. He thought that the college employees would do what he said just because he said do it. Well he was wrong. The staff bristled. They were not happy. Some asked mean questions. Many argued. This was not the way meetings conducted by Jack Hyles were supposed to be conducted. Knowing he was outnumbered, Dr. Hyles said, “When this college has changed and it is not what it was founded to be, then you people are going to be the blame.” And with that he walked out of the meeting. Now if you follow the timeline it wasn’t too long after this that Dr. Hyles made his statement to Bob Gray.

Now the result. Did Dr. Hyles cave? Did he just ignore the behavior?
Oh no. Things changed.

Not long after this a new employee was hired and a new position was created. Ray Young was made the executive vice-president. All staff were answerable to him. He tightened the screws down and made the changes that you knew were being handed down from on high. Slowly personnel changes were made.

Did Dr. Hyles get the school back. I’d like to think so.

There were several people who were more equal than others.

For instance Dr. Evans refused to use the system of IDs.

He had a key pad alarm bypass installed on his door by the administrative garage.

He could come and go as he pleased, no questions asked.

Oh, by the way there were several others that used that keypad.

Then there were those special people that had outside doors that either had no alarms or had a secret switch to disable certain doors for ease of incognito entrance and egress.

Yes he totally lost the college, employees just paid lip service to him while he was on campus. When he was gone they ran it as they pleased.

"Everyone did that which was right, in their own eyes" Starting with Ray Young

Notice he was reassigned to the road ministry recruiting students.

 

[bgwilkinson]

So why did Jack Hyles feel the need to lock down the campus as tight as an airport?

Way too many new IFBs were being created unexpectedly.

Not too good at a no sex before marriage institution.

Made a complete mockery of the image portrayed for the students parents.

Way too much reproducing of new Christians going on.

I don't really understand this BG.

I mean local young men would meet the college girls at church and arrange to pick them up at the college.

They would then take them to a nice motel for some R & R.

A small percentage were getting pregnant.

Some got caught, most did not.

The door alarm system did help to reduce the number of babies born.

It never solved the problem, the kids just got smarter as I described with the door alarm bypasses and safe doors.

Bro. Hyles screamed and yelled, it made him look good to the students parents without really changing anything in a substantive way.

Those that want to engage in amorous behavior will still do it, just not openly.

 

[Sherryh]

bg, that was going on when I was at college..................I never understood girls meeting guys in motels.......I wonder where they are today? I thought holding hands was the worse sin committed..

 

[bgwilkinson]

Does anyone want to reveal who it was that took name plates off of doors in the administrative hallway at the time of his demise?

Where is he today?

 

[prophet]

Does anyone want to reveal who it was that took name plates off of doors in the administrative hallway at the time of his demise?

Where is he today?

He pastors near Flint.

 

[Sherryh]

It's not Brad Lake............. 8)

 

[Bravo]

Does anyone want to reveal who it was that took name plates off of doors in the administrative hallway at the time of his demise?

Where is he today?

If you're referring to the late 90's where parking signs were removed, and even the dedication plaque on the evening college pulpit,...?

Word was that he could sing really well.

 

[bgwilkinson]

Does anyone want to reveal who it was that took name plates off of doors in the administrative hallway at the time of his demise?

Where is he today?

If you're referring to the late 90's where parking signs were removed, and even the dedication plaque on the evening college pulpit,...?

Word was that he could sing really well.

Yep, that's who I had in mind.

 

[patriotic]

Does anyone want to reveal who it was that took name plates off of doors in the administrative hallway at the time of his demise?

Where is he today?

If you're referring to the late 90's where parking signs were removed, and even the dedication plaque on the evening college pulpit,...?

Word was that he could sing really well.

Ed Wolber??????

 

[bgwilkinson]

No, not Ed. 

He wouldn't be so childish. 

 

[patriotic]

No, not Ed. 

He wouldn't be so childish. 

I know, I jet him in the hallway at church once. He seemed a very kind man and meek in the sense of Moses (if that makes sense,)

 

[Smellin Coffee]

So why did Jack Hyles feel the need to lock down the campus as tight as an airport?

Way too many new IFBs were being created unexpectedly.

Not too good at a no sex before marriage institution.

Made a complete mockery of the image portrayed for the students parents.

Way too much reproducing of new Christians going on.

I don't really understand this BG.

I mean local young men would meet the college girls at church and arrange to pick them up at the college.

They would then take them to a nice motel for some R & R.

A small percentage were getting pregnant.

Some got caught, most did not.

The door alarm system did help to reduce the number of babies born.

It never solved the problem, the kids just got smarter as I described with the door alarm bypasses and safe doors.

Bro. Hyles screamed and yelled, it made him look good to the students parents without really changing anything in a substantive way.

Those that want to engage in amorous behavior will still do it, just not openly.

A couple decades ago I met one of these "young men" (graduated from Lake Central High School) and he said that he and his buddies would get the girls in his car and have makeout sessions there as well. He said he loved the idea of them wearing skirts because it wasn't as difficult for the need to remove clothing. He also said it started when he was in high school with the HB girls but as the boys got older, "moved on" to HAC campus girls. His quote to me was "Those Baptist girls are great because they are sexually repressed." Whatever that was to have meant.

 

[Binaca Chugger]

Correct.  The campus was closed down for said reasons.  I remember the announcements in church about it.  Local boys were interested in our pure girls, yada, yada, yada.  As a kid, it only meant that we couldn't go run the halls while our parents were working or studying so easily (half the HB kids had parents at the college in one way or another).  In high school, we laughed at the policy - "Who would want to get with those heifers?"  In college, we found out that not all the girls there were HACkers.

I agree with Bro. Hyles statement that he lost the college to the staff.  But I don't think it was because staff didn't want to use the system.  After all, JH didn't use a card either.  The college was it's own island.  Infighting for political positioning did more to cause JH to lose control than anything else. 

 

[qwerty]

Bro Hyles had an ID...  He kind of made a big deal about showing it. I know in the early 90's when he had a Thursday girls meeting, there had to be security or a hostess at the Malone door to check his ID.

He waited on a temporary ID once at the front door... Had to be about 92 or 93.

 

[kaba]

Chris Stancell?

 

[bgwilkinson]

Chris Stancell?

Yup. That's it.

 

[RAIDER]

Chris Stancell?

His name and photo were in "The Book" next to Smellins. 

 

[Norefund]

I know in the early 90's when he had a Thursday girls meeting

Does this make anyone else shake their head?

 

[Smellin Coffee]

I know in the early 90's when he had a Thursday girls meeting

Does this make anyone else shake their head?

What's the problem? All the girls loved Boopsie's muscles!