Singer Pat Boone remembers he's on board of Arkansas college; 82-year-old says memory jogged

In this 2014 file photo Pat Boone attends American Friends of Magen David Adom's Red Star Ball held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
In this 2014 file photo Pat Boone attends American Friends of Magen David Adom's Red Star Ball held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Pat Boone has had a revelation.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette file photo

Oren Paris, president of Ecclesia College, is shown in this Thursday, April 11, 2013 file photo.

The 82-year-old singer, who last week denied ever having heard of Springdale's Ecclesia College, said his memory has been jogged.

Boone said he apparently agreed in 2012 to serve on the Christian college's board of regents, but he had forgotten all about it.

"I've had to go back and review correspondence and consult memories of others than myself about my being on the board at Ecclesia College," Boone wrote in an email Wednesday to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Oren Paris III, president of Ecclesia College. "My memory was vague but clearer now."

On March 1, Paris was charged in federal court with nine counts of honest-services wire fraud and one count of honest-services mail fraud in a kickback case involving state legislators and hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds. The scheme involved bribing the legislators and thus denying "honest services" by the elected officials, according to the indictment.

Attempts were made last week to reach members of the board of regents regarding the indictment of Paris, so a call was placed to Pat Boone Enterprises in West Hollywood, Calif.

Through his assistant, Boone said on March 7 that he had never heard of Ecclesia College and didn't serve on its board of regents.

Boone apparently heard from someone at Ecclesia College after an article was published in the Democrat-Gazette on March 9.

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Boone began his email Wednesday with, "To whom it may concern: (and obviously it concerns many)."

Boone wrote that Paris "evidently" contacted him in 2012 about serving on the board. Boone said he had known Paris for a couple of years.

Boone wrote that he also was contacted by George Hiller, a "highly respected investor manager and analyst in Atlanta and devoted Christian," about being on the Ecclesia board. Hiller didn't return a phone call Thursday.

"As I remember, I proposed I'd be on a board of advisers, but was told that the board of regents as expressed by Ecclesia was more of a 'board of reference,' and an endorsement of the goals and objectives of the school," Boone wrote in the email.

"So, on that basis, I accepted, and since then have had little, if any, contact with Oren or the school. I meant my name to be used as an endorsement of the goals and aspirations as they had been expressed to me, and because of those expressing those goals and my confidence in them, felt I could lend my name to the enterprise."

Regarding the charges facing Paris, Boone wrote, "Since I know nothing of what has happened since then, I can only hope and pray that the problems that Ecclesia faces momentarily can be settled by complete transparency, explanation and records. We need more Christian education not less in America."

Boone ended the email with, "God help you all, Pat Boone."

Then he added a postscript: "I hope this will help. It's the best I can do because I just honestly have only vague recollection of the discussions we had had."

A return email sent to Boone asking if he was still on Ecclesia's board of regents was answered by his assistant, Robin Whitmore.

"I guess so, as far as Pat knows," she wrote.

All of Boone's correspondence with the Democrat-Gazette was through Whitmore or email. Whitmore said Boone had written the letter out by hand and asked her to type it into an email.

Whitmore said she would leave a message asking Boone to return a reporter's call Thursday but not to expect him to do so. "I think he's done with this," she said.

Boone and nine other people are listed as "featured" members of the board of regents on the college's website, ecollege.edu/regents.

Paris hasn't returned telephone calls or emails seeking comment about the indictment or the board of regents. He "has been counseled not to communicate about the case at this time, so he is unavailable to comment," Angie Snyder, a spokesman for the college, wrote in an email Thursday.

Attempts to reach members of Ecclesia's board of regents or its board of governance also have been difficult.

Steve Henderson, president of Christian Consulting for Colleges and Ministries Inc., said last week that he was surprised to learn he was listed on Ecclesia's board of regents, although he knows Paris.

Also, last week, H.D. McCarty, who for 39 years was senior pastor at University Baptist Church in Fayetteville, said he was on the Ecclesia board years ago but didn't realize he was still a regent.

McCarty, 84, said being a regent at Ecclesia is like being "an adviser and someone who lends their name to the support of the college."

According to Ecclesia's website, its regents are "reputable, exemplary leaders."

On Thursday, Snyder emailed new comments Ecclesia had received by email from Henderson and McCarty. When asked if the letters were solicited by the college, Snyder wrote that she "was not directly involved in any conversations regarding this."

In his letter, Henderson apologized for forgetting that he was on Ecclesia's board of regents.

"I apologize for my lack of memory on this particular relationship's name since my research is referenced and on the websites of a number of colleges," he wrote. "I am very concerned that my lack of remembering that honor when a reporter called out of the blue and asked for a comment from a board member has somehow been interpreted to mean I was distancing myself from Ecclesia. That is absolutely not correct."

Henderson wrote that he "absolutely" endorses Ecclesia and its mission to serve students in Northwest Arkansas. He signed his letter "Dr. Steven J. Henderson, PROUD Board of Regents Member of Ecclesia College."

McCarty wrote that Paris' father, Oren Paris II, the founder of Ecclesia College, had asked him to join the board of regents years ago.

"The regents at Ecclesia are simply a board of reference who lend their influence and counsel whenever it is called on by the college," McCarty wrote. "[Oren Paris II] told me we would never meet other than being contacted individually for our advice or to serve in some capacity in the functions of the college. I have also served as a lecturer in many classes."

In his letter, apparently to Paris, McCarty wrote: "Be assured, my brother, of my continued absolute confidence for you and my prayers for you as we move through this crisis to greater things that are ahead of us."

The board of regents apparently differs from Ecclesia's board of governance. Seven members of the board of governance -- including Joseph Wood, county judge of Washington County -- signed a letter March 2 saying they had confidence in Paris and that he should remain as college president during "these challenging times." It's posted on the college's Facebook page.

Two members of the board of regents posted messages of support on Ecclesia College's Facebook page.

Eric Metaxas, an author, wrote: "Praying for Oren Paris and the Ecclesia family. They are some of the most honorable people I know, so expecting great things in the end!"

Twila Paris, a contemporary Christian singer whose brother is president of Ecclesia College, wrote: "My family and I are humbled and strengthened by the many people of good will who are believing the best and standing with us in prayer during this season we could never have imagined!"

Boone is described as a legend on the Ecclesia College website. A singer, author, and movie and television star, Boone is "self-effacing, God-fearing, enthusiastic, loving -- and quite a wit to boot," according to the Ecclesia website.

Boone was the second-biggest charting singer in the late 1950s, next to Elvis Presley, according to The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.

Oren Paris III was indicted March 1 in a case involving kickbacks to two Republican ex-legislators from Springdale, Jon Woods and Micah Neal.

According to the charges, the legislators directed state money to the college in return for cash. The indictments didn't name Ecclesia but named Paris as the president of the college receiving the state grants.

Patrick Benca of Little Rock, Woods' attorney, has said his client is innocent.

A Section on 03/17/2017

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