Robert Taylor Hardeman, a Greenwood farmer and charitable benefactor, died Thursday at his home of complications from Parkinson’s disease.
He was 95.
“He’s always been a very strong, independent loving person. He encouraged everybody to always do their best and follow the paths that are laid out in front of them and helped others,” said Katie Acosta, a granddaughter.
A native of McAlester, Oklahoma, Mr. Hardeman was valedictorian of the New Mexico Military Institute’s Class of 1945 and of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Class of 1949 in Annapolis, Maryland. He married Eleanor Steele Thomas of Greenwood on June 11, 1949.
Mr. Hardeman was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He underwent flight training, served in Korea and later farmed for 40 years.
“In 1967, Mr. Hardeman offered me a job that would forever cement my life and the lives of my family into agriculture,” friend and business partner Buck Harris said in a statement. “Over the next almost 30 years, this working relationship transitioned into a partnership and lifelong friendship. In 1994, Hardeman Harris Planting Co. made one more transition. With Mr. Hardeman’s blessing and help, I began Buck Harris Planting Co. My life was directly and significantly influenced by the generosity of Mr. Bob Hardeman.”
Mike Sturdivant III of Itta Bena, a Glendora farmer, said he had known Mr. Hardeman since their early days of farming in Holmes County near Cruger.
The two conducted business together, having worked out of the same office in Greenwood, forming a gin in Tchula and developing a computer program for farming operations, Sturdivant said.
Mr. Hardeman was about 20 years older than Sturdivant but “treated me as an equal,” Sturdivant said.
“Just a wonderful, wonderful man (with) a great sense of humor who was very meticulous with his records and somebody you could always go to and get an opinion and advice from,” he said.
Mr. Hardeman was one of the founders of Pillow Academy and served as president of its board for several years. He served as secretary of the Mississippi District Committee of Kairos, a prison ministry, and as warden of the Delta Episcopal Prison Ministries Board. He also was instrumental in building the indoor exercise pool at Twin Rivers Recreational Center in honor of his wife.
His charitable contributions to Pillow Academy were plentiful, including a donation of $812,000 to the school’s endowment.
The Bob Hardeman Distinguished Mustang Award was named in honor of him and his wife and is given to those who work to create a better future for the school.
He also was an active member of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity.
Bob Provine, who had known the Hardeman family for more than 60 years, often referred to Mr. Hardeman as “Uncle Bob.”
“We served together on numerous committees at the Church of Nativity, which he so loved. Uncle Bob was the finest of all gentlemen I have ever known,” Provine said.
Eleanor Acosta, Mr. Hardeman’s daughter, said, “He loved Greenwood. He loved everything about Greenwood. It was his adopted community. When he married my mother, Greenwood came with the bargain. He was interested in making Greenwood the best place that he could make it. He wanted a good education system. He was very invested in Pillow Academy.”
In addition to his wife, daughter, and granddaughter, Mr. Hardeman is survived by his son, Robert Taylor Hardeman Jr. of Grenada, two other grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. A private family service will be held later.