When the University of Mount Olive’s current president, Dr. H. Edward Croom, told a group of around 200 Tuesday night that Rose Raper’s fingerprints would remain on the institution forever, he wasn’t just voicing flowery words of praise to highlight the occasion of Mrs. Raper receiving the first-ever title of First Lady Emerita, he was speaking truth into a room of people who know it to be fact.
And, we will take it a step further, noting that it won’t only be Raper’s fingerprints but her heart that will remain a part of this growing eastern North Carolina campus for many lifetimes to come because it was Raper’s influence and that of her Free Will Baptist preacher husband who laid the foundation of love for others and belief in Christ that continues today at the university.
Last night, Croom cemented that belief when he told those gathered that special things were happening on the campus, with 78 young people making professions of faith over the course of the year.
While it’s been a long time since Mrs. Raper was a constant on the UMO campus, her devotion to the students and her devout faith are storied up and down the halls of the university and remain, in our estimation, a powerful influence on all those who call the campus home today.
For you see, just like the oaks lining the entrance to UMO that she helped plant and nurture, Raper has spread seeds of love that have blossomed into generations of individuals who have come to Mount Olive to get an education and to learn to become valuable members of society.
She often did it behind the scenes while supporting the visionary leader her husband was, yet she made her own mark in a quiet, unobtrusive way. It will always be the open arms and the selfless heart of the woman, herself, that will become the lasting legacy of the university, one which has grown because of the seeds she and her husband planted years ago.
From generation to generation, as grandmother or grandfather passes down the stories of Mrs. Raper’s kindnesses — the invitations to her home for tea or, in some cases, a place to spend the night; the snow cream delivered to the campus; the meals found, jobs secured or literally clothes on their backs — and the dignified way in which she carried herself, lessons will be learned and re-taught, learned and re-taught, ensuring that her selfless, loving example will continue to be a road map for others for many, many lifetimes.
As High Point University President Dr. Nido Quebin noted during his videotaped remarks Tuesday night, Raper was strength exemplified through grace. She seemed to always be working behind the scenes, taking it all in but never seeking attention for herself. She supported her husband and his vision for the college and worked tirelessly to help ensure his dreams became reality.
Raper remains, as Quebin and her son-in-law the Rev. Gary Bailey said, a woman who simply loves to love. Those aren’t just words either. By her actions, Raper has exemplified love through a life of exemplary sacrificial giving and an attitude of service far beyond self.
Hearing the words Bailey shared when he asked Raper once how she knew how to do everything so well. He said that she answered. “I just loved everybody. When we went to a church, I loved everybody in the church. And when we came to Mount Olive, I tried to love everybody who was a part of the college community.”
That love was evident Tuesday night as she humbly accepted the title First Lady Emerita bestowed upon her by the UMO Board of Trustees.
And her own words, perhaps, are the best testimony of why Raper was honored and why she will always be beloved.
”I don’t think I deserve all these kind words spoken tonight …but they sure sound good.”
