Foundation Donor Story
J. Ardis Bell
by Claire Olson
Throughout Tarrant County College’s rich, 50-year history, there has been the clear, resounding voice of J. Ardis Bell guiding its way.
In 1964, Bell was a family physician and founder of North Hills Hospital when he began talking fervently with Fort Worth leaders about the need for a community college. Alongside his friend Jenkins Garrett, a Fort Worth attorney, he pushed for the passage of a bond issue in 1965 to fund the College.
“An $18 million bond issue was a huge amount of money in those days,” Bell said. “Garrett worked hard to push it, and the bond passed by a four-to-one margin. This indicated how many people in Fort Worth believed there was a need for the College.”
Opening day profoundly proved their point. “The day we opened the doors, 4,000 students were lined up around the building waiting to apply,” Bell said. The exact number turned out to be 4,772, the largest opening-day enrollment of any community college in the nation. Bell worked to get Joe Rushing as the college’s first chancellor. “Rushing was chancellor of a college in Florida and was very highly respected. People here said “You’ll never get him,’ but we were determined. We flew him here, explained our vision and he came on board.”
As one of the original seven members of the Board of Trustees, Bell set the tone for an institution that would provide quality education at an affordable price. Bell was a member of the Board for 43 years, serving as board chairman for 32 of them (1976-2008). The Northeast Campus Library still bears his name.
“At one time, 25 percent of TCC students were first-generation college students. There’s a wide ripple effect of young people getting an education. Now, we have students who are the second and third generation of their family to go here. I take great pride knowing our students get a high-quality education at a cost they can afford.”
J. Ardis Bell
In 2005, Bell established the Doris Bell Memorial Scholarship in honor of his wife of 58 years. “Doris had a great respect for the medical profession, so the scholarship goes to a student pursuing a nursing or medical-related degree. We’ve been funding the scholarship for 10 years now,” he said.
William (Bill) Lace, retired TCC vice chancellor, worked with Bell for 30 years. “Bell poured his heart and soul into TCC for almost 50 years. As president of the Board of Trustees, he exhibited not only wisdom, but kindness, patience and strength of character,” Lace said. “Students always came first to him, and he did his best to ensure other trustees kept students at the heart of every decision. He once told me, ‘My proudest moment comes each year at graduation, seeing those students get their diplomas. I have the feeling that many of them would not be getting diplomas if it were not for TCC.’”