Early Life and Career
Conard Hays, Jr. was a chaplain in the United States Army during World War II. He settled in Arkansas with this family and taught Bible and Religion at Harding University in Searcy, AR for 34 years.
Earl Conard Hays, Jr. was born June 8, 1917, in Callahan County, Texas, to Marcia Olga Harvey Hays and Earl Conard Hays, Sr. He graduated from Abilene Christian College with a business degree in 1938. He joined an auditing firm in Dallas, Texas. After a few months, Hays left the firm to enter the ministry.
He attended Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. In 1943, he established the first Church of Christ in Arizona, and, soon after, he enrolled in the United States Army Chaplain School at Havard. He graduated in June 1943 and became a United States Army chaplain.
The Conard Hays, Jr. Character Collection was developed by UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture intern Candace Kirkpatrick. Candace is an undergraduate student at UA Little Rock majoring in History with a minor in Social Studies Secondary Education. She plans to graduate in May 2019. Her passion is studying history and the education of today’s youth. After graduation, she plans to return to UA Little Rock to obtain her teaching license.
Bringing Comfort to the Front Lines
Shortly after his graduation from Harvard, Hays was assigned to the 88th Infantry Division, 349th Infantry Regiment, to serve as an Army chaplain during World War II. He traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in December 1943. He brought spiritual guidance and religion to soldiers on the front lines, holding regular church services and performing baptisms.
Hays kept his fellow soldiers in the holiday spirit during Easter and Christmas by holding special services. He was responsible for writing to families of fallen soldiers and those missing in action.
Hays' infantry division, the 88th, saw combat during the latter half of the Italian campaign and was the first unit of the Fifth Army to move into Rome Chaplains were in high demand during the war. Hays returned to the United States in January 1946 and was honorably discharged in April 1946 as a major.
To His Beloved Florence
In September 1943, Hays married Florence Macon Locke. In December 1943, three months after they were married, Conard was sent overseas to serve as a chaplain in the United States Army during World War II. During his time overseas, Hays wrote to his wife almost daily. He expressed his love and admiration for her and told her about his experiences.
He sent birthday cards, Christmas cards and postcards from his travels, as well as copies of his and other chaplains’ services and sermons. Even from overseas, he found ways to show his love for her. He once wrote a letter to Florence’s niece, Joan, asking her to purchase a Valentine’s Day gift for his beloved Florence with the $5.00 he enclosed. He often sent her poems written by other soldiers that made him think of her. In 1945, Conard wrote to Florence expressing his hope that if he was assigned to an occupation unit, she could join him.
Life After the War
Prior to the end of the war, Hays sent his wife a newspaper article explaining that women should be patient and understanding as their soldiers adjusted to life back at home. Hays noted that his wife should not have any problems with him. His responsibilities as a minister were similar to his duties as a chaplain during the war, making the adjustment easier for him.
After the war, Hays and Florence had three daughters: Marcia, Nena and Sarah. In 1953, Hays became a professor of Bible and Religion at Harding University and an elder of the College Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas. He retired from Harding in 1987, after 34 years. Hays passed away in February 1997 and is buried in Oaklawn Memorial Garden in Searcy.