Born in 1903 in Hillsboro, Texas, Clifton L. Ganus, Sr. lived a life of service to God, his family, and those around him. He and his wife, Martha Jewell Bearden, used their talents to encourage people and provide opportunities to help others flourish.
In 1929, Ganus moved his family to New Orleans. Though he had dropped out of school after the fourth grade, Ganus developed into a trusted leader in business, banking, civic life, education and faith.
In 1932, he founded Finest Foods Inc. The company’s A&G restaurants, cafeterias and Mrs. Drake’s Sandwiches were soon established in the local food culture, providing jobs to hundreds of New Orleanians. His ethical behavior and bold business practices led him to numerous leadership roles, including helping to found Progressive Bank and Trust Company. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he organized support for orphans, military servicemen and other worthy causes. Though never running for office, Ganus engaged in civic life by appointment to numerous local committees and boards, including being selected in 1950 to help write the charter for the City of New Orleans.
In 1939, he sent his oldest son to Harding College to begin a long relationship with Christian education. Appointed to Harding’s Board of Trustees, he served as the chair between 1940 and 1954. In 1950, he founded a Christian school in New Orleans that became the Clifton L. Ganus School after his death. Ganus’ devotion to his own faith, and to helping develop faith in others, guided his life. His childhood sweetheart and wife, Martha Jewell, joined him in all of his efforts, but especially in encouraging spiritual growth in those around them.
Ganus passed away in 1955 at the age of 51. His wife and children — Cliff, James, Arvis and Joy — each continued his legacy of devotion and created their own.
May all of the faculty, staff and students be inspired by his diligent devotion to helping others, to leading his family and to living his faith.
The Department of History & Political Science grants credit for AP and CLEP examination scores as per the following schedule. If you need further information on these programs, please contact us.
Advanced Placement Credit |
|||
| AP Course | AP Examination Score | Harding Course | Credit Hours |
| European History | 4 | Hist 2110 | 3 |
| Government & Politics | 4 | Pols 1787 | 3 |
| U.S. History | 4 | Hist 1010 or 1020 | 3 |
CLEP Subject Examinations |
|||
| Subject Examination | Cut Score | College Course | Credit Earned |
| American Government | 62 | Pols 1787 | 3 |
| History of U.S. I | 59 | Hist 1010 | 3 |
| History of U.S. II | 59 | Hist 1020 | 3 |
| Western Civilization I | 57 | Hist 2100 | 3 |
| Western Civilization II | 57 | Hist 2110 | 3 |
The Raymond L. Muncy Scholarship is a one-time financial award for undergraduate students at Harding University majoring in history who demonstrate exceptional scholarship, research and Christian character. The Scholarship was created to honor the late Raymond L. Muncy who was Chairman of the Department of History & Social Sciences from 1965 to 1993. His teaching, mentoring and scholarship modeled the best in Christian education. The award is applied toward tuition and is granted over the span of a single academic year. The award is presented annually at the Department of History & Political Science banquet.
Are you interested in learning about historical events where they occurred? Many department courses include a trip to immerse students in rich, interactive learning environments.
American Experience tour: Through the American Experience Tour, students have the opportunity to learn outside the classroom by exploring history where it happened through a summer travel program. These trips bring students face to face with our nation’s key historical sites, enabling students to experience the events for themselves. Recent trips have included visits to the Cane Ridge Meeting House, the U.S. Capitol, Ellis Island, the Boston Freedom Trail, Gettysburg, Independence Hall, Mount Vernon, and the USS Constitution. The trip takes place during the summer of even years.
Civil Rights course: Visit locations relevant to the U.S. civil rights movement in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.
Arkansas State & Local Government course: Meet with alumni, members of the legislature and the governor on your trip to the Capitol building in Little Rock.
Military History course: Students travel to various museums in multiple states including National Infantry Museum in Georgia, National Naval Aviation Museum in Florida and National WWII Museum in Louisiana.
Civil War course: Travel on a multi-day trip to battlefields around the South, including Shiloh, Corinth, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Franklin.
Contact the History and Political Science Department for more information about any of these trips.
At the conclusion of each school year, the Clifton L. Ganus Sr. Department of History and Political Science confers an "Outstanding Student Award" to the student from the department who has demonstrated the highest levels of scholarship. This award is presented in chapel and noted in the Spring Convocation program.
In addition to this award, the faculty confer awards to the outstanding student in History (Phi Alpha Theta Award), Political Science (Pi Sigma Alpha Award), Public Administration and Social Science. On occasion, the department may give an award to an outstanding student in American Studies. Awards for the most recent seven years are listed below.
2023-2024 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Luke Ziegler
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Isaac Copeland
Outstanding Social Science Major: Meghan McElroy
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award): Zoie Dean
Outstanding Public Administration Major: Trey Crow
Raymond Muncy Scholar: David Granberg
Dr. Gene and Dorma Rainey Scholar: Meghan McElroy
2022-2023 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Brianna Hall
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Paxton Davis
Outstanding Social Science Major: Michael Wester
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award): Abby Long
Outstanding Public Administration Major: William Johnston
Raymond Muncy Scholars: Elijah Fisher, Paxton Davis and Jacob Anderson
2021-2022 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Eric Johnson
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Grace Ann Green
Outstanding Social Science Major: Jacob Jones
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award): Caroline Barineau
Outstanding Public Administration Major: Mary Grace Golden
Raymond Muncy Scholars: Grace Ann Green and Jackson Montgomery
2020-2021 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Paul Anderson
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Maddox Burgess
Outstanding Social Science Major: Cayleigh Porter
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award): Ilse Ghent
Outstanding Public Administration Major: Jake Riggs
Outstanding American Studies Major: Eric Johnson
Raymond Muncy Scholars: Richard (Trey) Bailey and Chelsea Blankenship
2019-2020 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Olivia Womack
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Kaylee Rice
Outstanding Social Science Major: Austin Taylor
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award): Michael Krupka
Outstanding Public Administration Major: Isabel Waller
2018-2019 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Ty Galyan
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Anessa Bridges
Outstanding Social Science Major: Daniel Moore
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award) Olivia Womack
Outstanding Public Administration Major: Nick Sullivan
Raymond Muncy Scholars: Austin Taylor and Brijana Paic
2017-2018 Awards went to:
Outstanding Overall Student: Savannah Donnell Wallace
Outstanding History Major (Phi Alpha Theta Award): Samuel Aly
Outstanding Social Science Major: William Sullivan
Outstanding Political Science Major (Pi Sigma Alpha Award): Anna Lowery
Outstanding Public Administration Major: Justin Manchester
Raymond Muncy Scholars: Ty Galyan and Scott Cravens
