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THE
Aug. 29, 2025 Vol. 101, No. 01
Online at TheLink.Harding.edu
Searcy, Ark., 72149
Hawkins, Samples remembered
RANDI TUBBS editor-in-chief
Maggie Samples, 21 (‘25), and senior Phillip Hawkins, 22, died early Sunday morning, May 25, 2025, in a car accident in Hickman County, Tennessee. Visitation for Samples were held in Lexington, Kentucky, June 4-5, and a funeral service was held June 5. Visitation for Hawkins was held on June 6, and a memorial service was held on June 7 in Lyndhurst, Ohio, with an additional service on July 12 in Farmington, New Mexico. “Usually, there is a community outcry and a lot of organizing and comforting – everybody’s here together to grieve and suffer and everything together,” Dr. Heath Carpenter, Samples’ professor for multiple English and Bible courses, said. “It being in the summer, everyone was in their own pockets of the world, connecting via texts and phone calls.” Samples was from Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated in May with degrees in multimedia journalism and theological studies. She served as editor-in-chief of The Bison and was a member of Delta Nu social club. Dr. Mac Sandlin, associate professor of Bible and ministry and director of the theological studies program, was not only Samples’ professor three times, but is also her father’s first cousin. Sandlin watched Samples grow up and flourish during her time as a Harding student. “[Maggie] was so full of joy,” Sandlin said. “She had a radiant personality. She was so wise and insightful, but was also sharp and cutting with her quick wit.” Sandlin said he is sure that Samples left her mark on Harding and the people she spent her time with. When asked what Samples’ Harding legacy would be, Sandlin said, “[Maggie] was a good writer for The Bison, and she helped make the McInteer beautiful with her role in the art contest. If she were here, she’d say what she wanted to leave behind was a call for us to not wait around for the big, dramatic moments of our life to define us or our story, but rather to be finding gold in the sand.” Graduate student Layne Medler was a close friend of Samples. “Maggie was the closest I’ll ever get to a soulmate,” Medler said. “Maggie was a lover before all else. She loved people so fiercely. It doesn’t matter if it was a stranger or her closest friends and family.” Medler described one of the most admirable traits about Samples as her confidence in life. “She was very sure of herself,” Medler said. “She is the only person I know who lived and died with no regrets. Maggie had such a zest for life and lived it so truly for herself. Whatever came at her, she was going to make the most out of it and live it out with no regrets.” Alumna Emma McDaris (‘25) was Samples’ roommate for two years at Harding and graduated with the same multimedia journalism degree.
Photo by KENZIE JAMES
Senior Phillip Hawkins and alumna Maggie Samples embrace after their engagement proposal April 24. Hawkins and Samples died in a car accident together a month later on May 25.
“The relationship we had was not like best friends, it was like sisters,” McDaris said. “It was nice having something in my major living with me. I saw her grow journalistically, and I always had an editor and fellow journalist beside me. She loved beautiful things, the beauty of truth, and she wanted to spread that everywhere.” Hawkins was a senior cybersecurity major from Farmington, New Mexico, and was a member of Knights social club. Senior Tyler Brown had been friends with Hawkins since their freshman year. Brown said Hawkins shared an air of honesty and confidence with his friends. “He was also just very himself,” Brown said. “He had already found himself before he got to Harding. He was always open to deep conversations and was open and honest.” Brown learned lessons f rom his friendships with both Hawkins and Samples. “Maggie has made me a more thoughtful person,” Brown said. “Phil taught me the ability to be able to laugh at myself when things don’t go the way I planned – that things will just be okay.” Also a friend since freshman year, senior Andrew Williams said he admired Hawkins for his lighthearted nature and
valued being in Hawkins’ tight circle. “I don’t think there’s a single person out there who didn’t like Phil,” Williams said. “He was quiet and had an interesting sense of humor, so either you didn’t know him well or you really loved him. Those were the two options.” Williams noted Hawkin’s work ethic and outlook on life. “Phil didn’t like to complain,” Williams said. “He was a big fan of living life and being with his friends. Phil has helped me look on the bright side of things as much as I possibly can.” In fall 2023, their friends McDaris and Brown set up Samples and Hawkins, and they eventually fell in love. After a four-hour first date, they “just became Maggie and Phil,” McDaris said. On April 24, 2025, Hawkins asked Samples to marry him, and she joyfully accepted. Their closest friends found their relationship unbelievably compatible and right. “They both grew so much in their relationship,” Medler said. “It was as meant to be as it could’ve been. They were a perfect match.” At its core, their relationship was founded upon being the best of friends.
“They brought out the best in each other,” Williams said. “I don’t think there are two people that I’ve seen more than Phil and Maggie enjoy going to Walmart together so much – and that’s because they loved being around each other so much.” To honor Hawkins’ memory, his family has decided to start the Phillip Hawkins Memorial Scholarship. Their goal is to raise $25,000 to make his scholarship a permanent endowment. To do that, they partnered with the 4 Corners Economic Development Foundation, a New Mexico registered 501(c)(3), to collect funds. Donations to the scholarship should be made out to “4 CED Foundation” and mailed to: 4 CED Foundation Attn: Scott Bird 5101 College Blvd Farmington, NM 87402 A candlelight service honoring Samples and Hawkins will be held Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on the Benson Auditorium front steps.
Students return to renovations to cafeteria, McInteer RANDI TUBBS editor-in-chief This semester, students returned to campus to find renovations to two of the most populated spaces on campus while classes are in session – the University Dining Hall and the McInteer Bible Building. The caeferia’s renovations were welcomed with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 20 featuring live music, custom ice cream, and a special appearance by Buff the Bison, the Harding mascot. The Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce led the ribbon-cutting alongside Harding University President Mike Williams and Bison Hospitality General Manager Jason Lucas. The first phase of renovation took place in summer 2024 and focused on retiling the front half of the CAF and modernizing the wall tiles to create a more contemporary look. “The University Communications and Marketing team played a key role in rebranding the space, introducing vibrant graphics that highlight students and campus programs,” Jason Warrington, marketing m anager of Bison Hospitality, said. “Strategic updates to equipment and layout helped open up the space, resulting in a fresh, inviting environment that reflects the spirit and energy of the Harding community.”
Summer 2025 brought phase two with the goal of transforming the cafeteria into a more functional and welcoming space. Phase two renovations included modern floor tiles, ceiling baffles to reduce noise levels, a new stage area equipped to support large gatherings and events, a semi-enclosed meeting room, and significant upgrades to the allergen-friendly True Balance station. “The recent renovations to the University Dining Hall were driven by a shared vision between Harding University and Bison Hospitality to create a space where students feel encouraged to gather, connect and share meals in a warm, inviting environment,” Warrington said. Students who attended the ribbon cutting were pleased. “It was fun,” junior Anet Quiroz said. “I loved the Bison Tracks milkshakes.” The McInteer Bible building was renovated to better represent Harding and its message. The changes include new wallpaper and paint in the rotunda and common areas, new rotunda flags, updated signage throughout the building, new signage for the dean’s suite and World Missions suite and exterior signage between the McInteer, Student Center and Pryor Science building. “The McInteer, specifically the rotunda mosaic, is the heartbeat of the entire
Photo provided by JEFF MONTGOMERY
Harding mascot Buff the Bison cuts ribbon with faculty, staff and students Aug. 20. The ribbon cutting ceremony symbolized new renovations to the space. university,” Meagan Justus, director of Events and Marketing for the College of Bible and Ministry and Harding School of Theology, said. “Each student walks across it multiple times a week and it makes sense that the building’s color scheme coordinates with that. It was time to replace the rotunda wallpaper and update the flags to reflect the countries of our current student body.” Renovations that are estimated to be completed by Sept. 29 include a theological studies common room, a large directory on
the first floor and smaller directories outside office suites (deans’, missions and Community Connections). “The theological studies common room’s goal is to provide a community-building space for Theological Studies students,” Justus said. “These students have primary majors spread out all over campus, and it is hard to know sometimes who else is in the major. This room will provide a space for these students to better develop their ministry identity, and