My Favorite Pop-Pop

David Underwood was a man that I came to affectionately call PopPop, even though he was a couple years younger than me. David was a development director at Harding University for the last 25 years.  Recently, at the age of 68 he suddenly passed away.

My first memory of David Underwood was in May of 2008 while attending the Pepperdine Bible Lectureships. Pepperdine University in Malibu, California was one of David Underwood's favorite places, (after Harding of course).

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He was hosting, as he did every year, the Harding Alumni reception for the lectureship participants.  When I walked in the room, he seemed to recognize me immediately!  He stretched his shaking hand out, we exchanged names, and said, yeah, “I remember you. We were at Harding together in the mid-seventies. But I had no recollection of him.  That has very rarely happened to me before, because it was always me who remembered them, and they had no recollection of me, not the other way around as was this experience.
 
Coincidentally, my employment contract from Harding had been received, signed and sent back literally the day before. I proudly told him, that come August, I would be a Harding faculty member and would be moving to Searcy. He was so delighted and he shook my hand even harder and said, “Welcome to the family.”
 
A week or so after I arrived to campus and moved into my new office, David came by to welcome me to the Harding family. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement!  After a few minutes of stand-up greetings and chit-chat, a wonderful friendship began.
 
There were so many times we simple passed each other walking across campus where we had a 5–10-minute conversation while standing in the middle of the sidewalk. I think David and I were a lot alike. We were both outgoing, happy, friendly and a consummate lover of God, our families, and sports, (especially Alabama football and the Bisons). Except, I am NOT an Alabama sports fan.

Our mutual admiration went on for a few years, (maybe four or five years), when we discovered that both of our grandfather names was “PopPop.”  I happened to be wearing a gift (from one of my grandchildren), a T-Shirt to my Bootcamp exercise class, that said, “PopPop: “The Man, The MYTH, The LEGEND! One of my Bootcamp Buddy’s, Liz Underwood, inquired about what that was all about.  I explained that it was my grandfather-name. Oh, that’s my father-in-law’s grandfather name.  Do you know David Underwood? 

“Yes! I know David Underwood, but I didn’t know you were his daughter-in-law and I didn’t know his grandfather name was PopPop! I couldn’t wait to see him again.  When I did, I simply said, “Hello PopPop!” He had a surprised and inquisitive look on his face! Then, I told him that MY grandfather name was PopPop!  His eyes got big, a huge smile came across his face, and he reached out and hugged me! After that we never called each other by our given names again. It was always, “Hey PopPop!” “PopPop how are you?” See ya later PopPop.” “Okay PopPop!  He called me PopPop #1 because my grandchildren were older than his, and I had been a PopPop longer than him. But, I assured him that all PopPops were by nature cool, but that he was my favorite PopPop!
 
In the fall of 2018, my admiration and gratitude for David Underwood’s presence in my life was escalated when I asked Steve Lake, a senior development officer for Harding University, about securing some little-known scholarship opportunities for some of my Agape Asia Chinese students that were currently attending Harding.  I had tried a few phone calls and visits to various staff members only to be told that the international students were not eligible for scholarships and such. Lake directed me to go see David Underwood to see if he could help me through this quagmire. After meeting with David and telling him the story of Hope, Grace, and Josie, he was moved by the Agape Asia story and my plea. With tears in his eyes, David said, “They need and deserve our help, and I’m going to help you find some funds.”

Over the next few days he walked me to several different administrators including the Harding University President, the VP of development, donors, and Dan Campbell one of the other senior development officers to hear my story again. In the end we received contributions in the form of scholarships, grants and other donations that over the next three years equaled approximately $100,000.00 that resulted directly from the work of David and Dan.
 
Over the next three years David Underwood and Dan Campbell made sure the Agape Asia students were getting the funds they were supposed to and checking in with me to see how they were doing.  They were both were the consummate fund-raising professionals, and the most  caring, loving mentors I could have, and it did not go unnoticed by me.

David’s death is devastating to his family, the Harding family, and a crushing blow to the friendship that he and I had developed. He loved raising money for the students that needed it to stay enrolled at Harding University, and he loved everybody that knew him!
 
I may be PopPop to four beautiful grandchildren, but David Underwood will always be my favorite PopPop.

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