A BACKWARD GLANCE OF MY LIFE TIME
by John Lee Dykes

I was born John Lee Dykes on January 2, 1905, in the cabin of a homesteader in western Oklahoma, the first of six children. We moved to town before I was of school age. My father worked as a carpenter, an occupation he followed the rest of his life. When carpenter work became scarce in Hammon we moved to Clinton, Okahoma because there was more work there. After this we moved to Shamrock, Oklahoma where there was work in the oil fields. Later we moved to Pawhuska where I graduated from high school in 1924. It was here that the greatest decision of a lifetime was made. Carpenter work was scarce, I was ready for college but there was no way I could go. I think that it was chiefly mothers concern for her children that we decided to move to Cordell, Oklahoma because there was a junior Christian College there. My father could go out to Amarillo, Texas where carpenters were needed. This we did.

For the first time in my life I had a peer group of dedicated young people who were interested in the finer things of life. At Clinton a few families had met for worship in the court house. At Shamrock we met in my uncles home. At Pawhuska we drove several miles to Wynona where we met with a small group with no one of my age. I cam to realize in later years that this small group attending this small Christian College caused me to set my goals for life. It became my prayer that "God would help me to find that particular "nitche" in life where I could best serve Him. This prayer became an all consuming desire and prayer all the rest of my life. It was more than a passive prayer but set my goal to actively search out and work out to fulfill this deep seated desire.

It was here that I met my wife who always had these same desires and for these fifty years and more has been true life companion as we worked together to try to accomplish our goals of finding ways to make our lives serve in the best way possible.

We never could know the great sacrifices and real privations our parents endured in order for their children to have a Christian education. All six children had such opportunities. I should mention that for their children they moved to Morrilton and came on the Searcy when Harding moved.

The driving desire and prayer to find the place where our lives would count for the most led to get the Masters Degree and one year of additional graduate work. It led us to Harding where greater opportunities opened up over the years. Our life's goals led to sacrifices which were never a big problem. In coming to Harding I gook a 650% cut in salary I was receiving in a State school.

For a number of years I helped start several congregations in White County. In the Harding Book Store I saw the need that every congregation had for more and better Bible school material and thus we added this type of service which made it possible for many congregations to have a better bible School program.

There was a great need to provide greater programs for young people and I had the rare opportunity of being instrumental in establishing Camp Wyldewood where thousands of young people continue to receive the inspiration of a life time for Christian service.

We are eternally grateful for the very wonderful way god has answered our constant prayer and thank and praise Him who has helped us find useful places to serve Him in spite of many weaknesses, but this the Lord will do for all who earnestly seek to do His will.

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Comments by Lot Tucker, Jr.
at John Lee Dykes funeral
Tuesday, June 20, 1989

There are many Christians all over this country, and in mission fields around the world, whose hearts are with us this morning; as we come together -- First - to celebrate with the John Lee Dykes family, his being called home to be with his Lord.

John Lee actually started that celebration Sunday morning at about 4:00 A.M. Now for him -- faith and hope -- have passed away, and he is now home with the Lord. His life has been spent preparing for this time and he was ready to go to be with the Father.

Second - we come together to encourage each other and to share with the family his faith and to remember some of the events of his life and of his accomplishments.

Third - we come together to renew our faith and to gain strength from each other. We want to remember how, by is life, John Lee taught us how to live for Christ, and now, in death, he has shown us how a Christian longs for that heavenly home.

When he found out how critical his condition was, he asked the congregation to pray that he be allowed to go home immediately to be with his Lord. Heaven was the place he had longed for all his life and he was now ready and waiting to go. John Lee knew the Bible, and I'm sure he had in mind the verses found in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:

"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all those that love his appearing."

And let us remember the words of Psalms 116:15 - "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

As the family and all the rest f us anticipate life without John Lee, we are naturally saddened. Especially the family will miss having him close to them, and so will the rest of us.

God does not see things as they may appear to us. For God sees everything as they stand in the eternal order. To us, with our limitations, death may not seem to be a precious thing. But we need, as John Lee did, to get God's viewpoint.

The death of God's saints calls attention to the life which they have lived.

1. It is the simple life, the blameless life, the deeper life.
2. We often pass such lives unnoticed.
3. What God has written in the quiet lives of is people, He underscores in their death, that men may see.

We want, for a few moments, to look at the life and accomplishments of John Lee Dykes.

Mae Anne and I have known John Lee and Gertrude for about 40 years. We understand, as I'm sure you do, that it was never just John Lee or just Gertrude, it was always in every endeavor, John Lee and Gertrude. They were a couple that complimented each other and they were one in every way. Whatever was accomplished, they did it together.

Theirs was a close young family when we first knew them. John Lee, Gertrude, Norman, and Latina. then later Carol was added to the family -- and then two grandchildren -- Lisa and Kevin.

Brother Dykes was proud of the accomplishments of Norman in his medical work and of Latina as she serves at Harding.

I have tried and tried to come up with one word, or one sentence that would describe Brother john Lee Dykes. And, of course, with the many different works that he accomplished, that is impossible, but if forced to do so, I would simply say that he was a dreamer -- No -- a planner, No, he was a man of god who could see a need for serving, and then would dream, plan, and work toward filling that need.

I guess I will always remember John Lee in the Bookstore of the Ganus Student Center. The sight and sounds may be familiar to many. As you walked into the store, Miss Gertrude could always be heard talking and could be seen serving or helping a customer. John Lee could be seen and heard as he would be walking around the back of the store, always humming quietly to himself or maybe talking to himself, as he dreamed of what needed to be done next.

Quoting Carroll Trent in the Arkansas Christian Herald: "John Lee Dykes is a quiet, gentle, soft spoken man whose leadership with his fellow Christians as been -- Come along with me, the Lord needs our help."

John Lee served as a coach, a math teacher, and always a preacher of the gospel.

He and Gertrude moved to Searcy in 1938 to work at Harding. His duties included teaching Math, religious education, and working as Registrar. He will always be remembered by some of those young people as a teacher.

One of the great services that he rendered for several years was to preach all over white County. He also loved to help young men who planned to preach. Every Sunday he would load is car with young student preachers, drop them off for their preaching appointments, and then continue on to the place he would be preaching. For many years he was known all over this area for his work as a preacher of the gospel. There are a number o congregations in Arkansas today that he either started or strengthened through these efforts.

John Lee has been recognized as the Founder of Camp Wyldewood. The Camp Dining Hall was named in his honor

As a student, I can remember the many Chapel announcements for students to go to Wyldewood to work. Because of his dream for a Christian camp, many thousands of young people have attended this Christian Youth Camp and many have been bought to Christ and many more have had their faith in the Lord made even stronger.

John Lee worked for Harding for 40 years. I suppose most of us will remember best his work as Bookstore Manager. I remember, as do many of you, where I first saw the Dykes. In the little Bookstore, College Inn on the first floor, the south end of Pattie Cobb Hall. I remember he planned the new Bookstore that was in the Ganus Student Center. So much room, or so we thought, but before long an addition had to be built. Then he planned the even bigger and better Bookstore in the Hammon Student Center. Even in this work as Bookstore Manager he dreamed of better ways to increase service to churches and Christians all over the country. He started, in Searcy and later in Memphis, the Bookstore Sunday School literature department. Then he added a mail order department so churches and Christians everywhere could have this service available.

Then, John Lee Dykes was an elder of the college church for many years. I believe he was an elder when the church moved from the campus to this location. He worked very hard in all areas of church life here, but I suppose his special interest was in the education program.

Even when he was no longer able to attend regular elders' meetings, ideas still came from John Lee. Whenever he and Gertrude saw a need here, they did their best to meet that need.

Brother and Sister Dykes have received so many letters of encouragement over the last few weeks. I've had the opportunity to read through some of these letters and I was deeply moved by the outpouring of love and thanksgiving for so many for their lives of service. I wanted to share just a sentence or a paragraph from just four of these letters, representing those who remembered in different areas of work they had engaged in.

1. First - a young preacher helped in the early years. He wrote:
"Just wanted to say thanks on this side of eternity for your assisting me with preaching appointments when I was 17 years old. My ministry is in its 47 the year. I love you in Jesus. Signed Doug Lawyer

2. "Through the years our family worked in Africa and Searcy, we always appreciated your encouragement through the College church and through your gifts of literature from the Bookstore. We will always be grateful for your interest in us and other young people. Our love, Henry and Grace Farrar"

3. Camp Wyldewood - "You have been a great Christian example for me and my generation. thank you for the positive influence you have been to me. Signed Glen blue"

4. Elder - written to Gertrude and Latina after John Lee's death
"I have never known a man for whom I had more respect. His love of the Lord and His church was evident throughout his life. He was a progressive thinker in church affairs. Signed Tom and Mary Formby

Even in retirement, his main concern was to serve others. He loved to work in his garden, in his workshop, and later even learned to paint. He would give the things he made to others who would enjoy them.

And now Brother Dykes has fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith -- now the Lord will give him that crown of righteousness.

I believe, at this point, I can sum up the end of the life of Brother Dykes in a work or in a sentence. Victory, Victory, Victory in Jesus.