Like many universities, Freed-Hardeman has a way of creating a feeling of community for its campus, a sense that promotes camaraderie and unity in everyone associated with the university. Universities like Freed-Hardeman are a unique blend of homegrown traditions and rituals existing alongside the quest for universal truths. Perhaps it is this relationship that allows scholars to maintain a sense of individual identity while immersing themselves in fields that others have created, built and defined, while at the same time giving the institution its own identity. Traditions like the alma mater or the university seal and motto or rituals like Homecoming and chapel teach the outside world about what life at Freed-Hardeman is all about.

As an archivist, there are certain rules of thumb to remember when cataloging artifacts, and one of those is paramount: Describe the object in such a way that it not only leads a researcher to this object and this object alone, but it also guides them away from all other similar objects. If you look at Freed-Hardeman as the artifact, you can find details about a university unlike any other. It is a university fortunate enough to have detailed recollections of its history, leaving a sense of pride and understanding behind that every student and alumnus can appreciate.

Alma Mater
The first Alma Mater sang at Freed-Hardeman College was written by Mary Nelle Hardeman Powers, the oldest daughter of University namesake N.B. Hardeman. The Hardemans were a musical family. Mrs. Joanna Hardeman attended West Tennessee Christian College and Georgie Robertson Christian College with music professors who had studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Her tremendous talent as a pianist, vocalist and band director secured her position as head of the Music Department until her death in 1940. Powers inherited a great deal of talent from her mother and was educated at Freed-Hardeman under her mother’s direction. In 1929, Powers decided to solidify Freed-Hardeman College’s identity through the avenue of song.

In 1884, J.L. Molloy had written a song that was incredibly popular for its day. “Love’s Old Sweet Song” recalls the passion of a love gone by, of the nostalgia for days past. Its sentimental harmonies were popular in parlors, churches and among ladies of good breeding for many years. So Powers sat down to capture the essence of Freed-Hardeman College with one of the most popular songs of the era—and it was appropriately re-titled “Freed-Hardeman College Song.”

“Freed-Hardeman’s alma mater carries a religious flavor of the Stamps-Baxter gospel songs that we still include in songbooks today,” said Dr. Richard England, an associate professor of music at Freed-Hardeman.

England is right: To assist her in personalizing the song for the school, Powers called on music faculty member Palmer Wheeler to arrange the music to fit her own lyrics. Wheeler had come to the school from a successful career as the first tenor of the Frank Stamps Quartet. With an accomplished, recorded musician at her disposal, Powers composed lyrics like:

"Loyal songs of tribute, we will sing to thee,
Dearest Alma Mater, Cherished F.H.C.
Mem’ry’s priceless treasure, may they ever be,
Days we’ve spent together, so joyously
In our own F.H.C."

This alma mater stood for about 20 years, concluding Commencements and rallying alumni and students alike to the pride of their college days. But in 1950, the school entered some of its darkest days, when N.B. Hardeman resigned his 25-year position as President of Freed-Hardeman College. President Hardeman had been associated with the school since his student days at Georgie Robertson Christian College. His influence over the early days of the school cannot be adequately measured. In his absence, the school found itself in an identity crisis. President H.A. Dixon, who succeeded Hardeman, led the way to a new identity for the College, the alma mater serving as the key element of that new identity.

Frank Van Dyke and Kelley B. Doyle were two accomplished musicians on the faculty. Van Dyke’s lyrics were set to Doyle’s score, and what was named “To Thee Our Dearest FHC” was born. After FHC was granted University status in 1990, Van Dyke’s original lyrics underwent some small changes, namely changing “laud thy history” to “tradition old and new” to rhyme with “FHU.” Smaller changes have also been introduced into the content of the song. Currently we are exploring the relationship between love and debt in the song to fall into the phrase “Our debt we owe to thee.” Currently, debt is the official lyric, but the university has debated changing it to love, instead.

Motto
While there does not seem to be evidence of an official motto in use at FHU before 1950, Freed-Hardeman has tried out two different mottos since the early 1950s. According to President E. Claude Gardner, the current motto, “Teaching how to live and how to make a living” was coined in a chapel speech by Frank Van Dyke in the early 1950s. The statement impressed administrators and faculty, prompting President Dixon to include it on the cover of the 1956-57 Student Catalog. Notepads, bumper stickers, stationery, t-shirts are just some of the avenues that have been used to convey the motto of Freed-Hardeman to the outside world. For many years, a large billboard stood just past the intersection of US Highway 45 and White Avenue proclaiming FHU’s presence and purpose.

Every once in a while, an institution tries out a new look or a new voice. Such was the purpose of a slogan coined in the early 1990s, “From Here You Can Go Anywhere.” Although “Teaching How to Live…” remained the official motto of the school during this period, the slogan began appearing in the traditional place of the motto—admissions materials, marketing materials, and even that billboard on US Highway 45. Was the slogan in competition with the motto? Was it even trying to compete? Finally, confusion over the relationship between the two phrases—and over the slogan’s meaning—doomed its use.

Seal
A university’s seal is the visual summarization of its primary identifiers. In late 1967, President Dixon commissioned a seal to be used on all official FHC documents. James C. Herter, formerly of the Art Department at Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) was commissioned to produce this image. The final design was approved by President Dixon in late 1968. A central hexagonal lozenge features the Bell Tower, an open book and the date of the University’s founding on each side of the bell tower. An oval frame with the name and location of the school frames the central images. No official color was designated so that the image could be adapted to many publications. Horizon Light Italic font was chosen for the name of the school, the city and state. The seal officially debuted on diplomas and letterheads beginning Spring 1969.

As with the alma mater and motto, the seal had to adjust to the growing institution. During the 1980s, President E. Claude Gardner charged Dr. J.D. Thomas with investigating the founding date of FHU. Reflecting a standard approach taken by many universities, the founding date of the school was changed from 1908 to 1869 to reflect its relationship to other institutions of higher learning in the community. The seal was amended one last time in February 1990, in time for the diplomas at the May 1990 graduation to read Freed-Hardeman University.

For at least 50 years now, the university has been identified by these symbols. Those years make up less than half of our official 139-year history. It may be decided one day to alter these, or exchange them for new ones. As long as the chosen symbols reflect the universality of this life-changing experience, outsiders and insiders alike will see a university unlike any other.