A massive hailstorm tore through Lawrence County and other parts of Northeast Arkansas on April 15, resulting in the near total loss of spring crops planted at WBU’s Eagle Farms. The hail devastated a full acre of strawberries, which were within three weeks of harvest, as well as a wide range of other crops.

The storm produced hail as large as golf balls, accumulating six inches deep across the Williams campus. The storm also created a verified funnel cloud near Walnut Ridge. No injuries were reported, and all buildings were left structurally sound. However, numerous vehicles and all building roofs across campus were damaged, leaving the university to pay substantial insurance deductibles for repairs to school property.

“The biggest blow at Eagle Farms was the loss of our strawberry crop,” said Dr. Brett Cooper, who supervises the Williams Works initiative.

“Strawberries are a high demand crop that produce a strong profit margin, and this year’s crop was looking great. We estimate the loss of strawberries, coupled with the loss of the other crops, to be about $42,000 in revenue. That’s money that would have gone toward scholarships.”

Cooper said before the storm hit, Williams Works students had planned to start harvesting strawberries in early May. The intense hail also stripped blackberries, blueberries and raspberries of their foliage and buds, effectively eliminating production from those plants this year.

“The hail also destroyed all of the annual vegetables we had planted, such as squash, okra, peppers, cucumbers and produce like that,” he said. “At least with annual crops like those we were able to replant and still get a crop, albeit a late one. But with all our berries, the year’s crop is lost.”

There was good news to report after the storm, most notably the lack of injuries. It hit on Good Friday, so most students had traveled home for Easter and were off campus. And two new greenhouses at Eagle Farms were, remarkably, undamaged.

However, the storm took a financial toll.

“Between lost revenue on the farm and deductibles on our insurance claims, this storm has proven costly to Williams,” said WBU President Dr. Stan Norman. “Our insurers have worked diligently to assess the damage and work through the process of claims and repairs, but costs from events like this nearly always exceed what insurance covers. This is what we are encountering in the aftermath of this storm.”

The president expressed his gratitude to supporters who have helped fill the financial void left by the hailstorm.

“We are so thankful to supporters who have given at this time to help offset our storm losses,” Norman said. “God has used WBU’s supporters in a special way through this ordeal, providing gifts that helped the university monetarily, but also were a big encouragement to us. We appreciate them deeply.”

Those who would like to support WBU as it recovers from the hailstorm can do so online at williamsbu.edu/ give and type “Hail Recovery” in the “name of project” line.

Baylee Haskins never thought she would be in a situation to save someone’s life when she woke up on the morning of Oct. 31, 2021, but sometimes fate has a way of intervening in ways you never thought were possible.

Haskins, a WBU senior from Walnut Ridge, was with friends in rural Lawrence County when a woman rushed up to them saying her husband had been injured and trapped nearby in an ATV accident. They reached the scene before emergency personnel could arrive and found the man pinned in the wreckage, bleeding profusely from a badly injured arm.

Realizing the need to stem the blood loss, Haskins called her father to find out how to apply a tourniquet. Her father, Alan Haskins, heads the Fire Training Center at Black River Technical College and is a former Walnut Ridge fire chief, and he gave Bailey instructions over the phone. She fashioned a tourniquet from the ATV’s window seal and a stick and applied it successfully.

After about 10 minutes, emergency personnel arrived on scene and transported the injured man to a nearby hospital where he received further medical attention. They noted that without Haskins’ help, he could have lost his life due the amount of blood he was losing due to the injury.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been as proud of her as I am right now,” Alan Haskins said. “She gave someone another Christmas, another birthday, some more time with their family. That’s special. That’s pretty special.”

Haskins was recognized by the Williams Baptist University Board of Trustees on December 4th for her efforts, but Haskins said she doesn’t want to be thought of as a hero. She said she’s just a person who did what they had to do, and she couldn’t have done it without the help of her friends.

“I just want to give recognition to my friends, because without them I wouldn’t have been able to put that tourniquet on,” she said.

Others noted that what Haskins accomplished was nothing short of a miracle, even those trained for these situations, let alone someone who just happened upon the situation.

“Baylee was able to call her father for help, and maintained a cool demeanor while she was talked through the process of creating and applying a life-saving medical adjunct,” said Brian Luetschwager, director of the criminal justice department at WBU. “This is no small feat for those trained in emergency medical care, let alone a layperson.”

The entire Williams Baptist University community commended Baylee for what she did and recognized her for outstanding role in saving the life of another person.

“Bailey is a great example of WBU students doing things the ‘Williams Way,’” said WBU President Dr. Stan Norman. “Her quick response, calm demeanor and compassion saved a man’s life. She is a credit to this institution and her community, and it is our pleasure to honor her.”