Waldo Elmer Harder (1918–1976) was the sixth
president of
Grace University (then Grace Bible Institute) in
Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He held an undergraduate degree from
Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to:
* Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois
* Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...
and M.A. and Th.M. degrees from
Columbia Bible College and Seminary. He also studied at
Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
Northern Seminary is a Baptist Christian seminary in Lisle, Illinois. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Its president is William D. Shiell.
History
It was founded in 1913 by the Second Baptist Church of Chicago as ''Northe ...
in Chicago.
His career marks his commitments to Christian missions and Christian education. He worked as a missionary among the
Hopi
The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...
people of Arizona from 1943-1946. He was the first superintendent of
Berean Academy, a private Christian secondary school in
Elbing, Kansas
Elbing is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. It is named after the city Elbląg (German: ''Elbing'') in northern Poland, formerly Prussia. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 226. It is located about 10.7 mil ...
. From 1951 through 1961 he directed the Institut Biblique, a pastoral training institute of the Communauté Mennonite au Congo (then Congo Inland Mission) in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (then
Belgian Congo). The Institute Biblique is also known as the Kalonda Bible Institute and is located at Kalonda Station, just north of
Tshikapa on the east bank of the
Kasai River.
From 1961 to 1971, Waldo Harder served as president of Grace University. His administration was marked by record enrollments, facilities expansion including Schmidt Hall (men's dorm) and a new student center, and the first broadcasts of the school's radio station,
KGBI-FM.
In 1971, he resigned from Grace and returned to mission work in Africa. Health issues required him to return to the United States in 1973, and he died in 1976. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in
Newton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 18,602. Newton is located north of Wichita. The city of North Newton is located immediately north and e ...
.
The Harder dormitory on the former Grace University campus was named after him. Since Grace's closure the dormitory has been developed by Urban Village Development into an apartment community called "Dahlman Flats."
References
Harold J. Berry, Committed to the Vision: 50 Years by the Grace of God; Grace College of the Bible Press, Omaha, NE 1992.
James Bertsche, CIM/AIMM: A Story of Vision, Commitment, and Grace; Fairway Press, Elkhart IN, 1998.
External links
Berean Academy: http://www.bereanwarriors.org/about-berean/school-profile/
Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission: http://www.aimmintl.org
Communauté Mennonite au Congo: http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/C654035.html
Grace University: http://www.graceuniversity.edu/
Radio Station KGBI-FM: http://www.kgbifm.com/
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Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
1918 births
1976 deaths
20th-century American academics