Heritage Day has been celebrated in multiple ways throughout the University’s history, from formal banquets years ago to today’s chapel presentations. This year’s Heritage Day chapel will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m. in FMA.
Originally known as Founder’s Day, the tradition of honoring Dr. Bob Jones Sr. began in the 1960s. On the chapel closest to his birthday, the University honored its founder. About 20 years ago, the University decided to enlarge the scope to include other notable people, events and historical facets of the University. This is when Founder’s Day became known as Heritage Day.
Patrick Robbins, interim director of libraries, said, “The Jones family wanted it to be a little more about the history of the school and the people.” Initially the focus was placed on Jones Sr. and his family and the roles they played in the founding of the University.
However, in more recent years the topics have ranged from notable alumni to notable figures of University history. This year, in a return to tradition, the program will be about Jones Sr.Rather than covering the founding of the school, the program will showcase Jones Sr.’s early life and explain how his personal experiences influenced his goals and standards for the University.
Dan Boone, who works in video services, is the creator of this year’s program. Boone said he was initially commissioned to create the video in 2010. When considering which aspect of BJU to highlight in the film, Boone decided he wanted to highlight the early life of Jones Sr.—an aspect of BJU history that he wasn’t familiar with.
Boone said this story captures the things that made Bob Jones College a unique school.
The video, which will be shown in chapel, will explain the beginnings of the University, and it will explain why Jones Sr. structured the University the way he did. When asked which of Jones Sr.’s experiences stood out to him the most, Boone said, “Every experience should be a learning experience. You can take all those things and create a better life because God can use those things in your life.”
The video describes Jones’ financial integrity multiple times in the program.Boone said he views Heritage Day as a very important way to remember our roots, where we’re from and what makes Bob Jones University different from other schools.”
