Animal sciences alumnus drafted in WWII, six credits shy of graduation
Born and raised on a farm north of Knightstown, Indiana, Russell “Doc” Hardin (A’65) began milking cows at age 9. During the Depression, Hardin recalls, the only income for the family came from milking their 20 head of cattle.
Hardin remembers the country veterinarian who tended to the family herd. “I always liked him,” Hardin says. “He would come out and doctor a cow, and I was curious about how he knew what was wrong. I was always interested in becoming a vet.”
At the time, there were only 10 vet schools in the country, and Hardin’s family didn’t have the money for it anyway. In 1939, he enrolled at Purdue to major in animal sciences — Purdue’s vet school wasn’t established until 1957 — which was the next best thing. He was only six credit hours away from completing his degree in 1942 when, as he puts it, “Uncle Sam took me.”
Drafted into the army, Hardin was sent to Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas, for basic training and then on to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. As Hardin was preparing to deploy overseas, he was called in front of a four-star general.
“I’d never seen a four-star general in my life,” Hardin says. “My first thought was, ‘Oh, boy, what have I done now?’”
The general told Hardin that the army was in need of physicians, dentists, and veterinarians, and Hardin’s training in animal sciences qualified him for veterinary school at Kansas State University. He would be headed to Manhattan, Kansas, on the first train in the morning. Hardin was so excited at the prospect of attending vet school he saluted the general with both hands.
He also realized another dream of playing football at Kansas State. Hardin says he tried out for the football team when he first arrived at Purdue, “but after three weeks the coach told me, ‘Hardin! You’re too slow. Turn in your uniform.’”
He surmises he made the K-State squad because the competition wasn’t as steep at the time. He was named captain in 1945. He passed on an offer to play professional football with the Detroit Lions for $300 a game.
In 1946, he moved to Lebanon, Indiana, where he followed the advice of a professor who suggested he introduce himself to the town vet. “He told me, ‘There’s no use for you in this town,’” Hardin says. “Well, that ticked me off, and the next day, I hung out my shingle.”
Hardin started his practice from a storeroom in the back of a filling station that he rented for $25 a month. After five years, he built his own veterinary clinic. Upon retirement in 1978, he sold his practice to his colleagues, both Purdue graduates.
Hardin celebrated his 100th birthday in July with a drive-by party organized by the Lebanon Rotary. He is the oldest living Kansas State football player and John Purdue Club member.
And those pesky six credit hours? He finished up the required coursework for his Purdue degree during his last year at Kansas State, but somehow the credits didn’t transfer properly. In 1965, Earl Butz (A’32, PhD A’37, HDR A’73), then dean of the College of Agriculture, ensured Hardin’s diploma was finally issued. Hardin proudly hung it in his office next to his diploma from Kansas State.
When asked the secret to longevity, Hardin recalls the advice of his childhood Sunday school teacher that he’s tried to live by. “She’d say, ‘Eat right, drink right, and be right with Jesus,’” he says. “I don’t think it hurt anything. I’ve been blessed. I am one happy old man.”
Top photo courtesy of the Lebanon Reporter.