Doyle: both Thompson and Bronaugh, seemingly, were dedicated men to religon and were in process of creating a college into the shape they felt best but had a higher calling with the war looming overhead. What puzzels me is Pine Bluff. They may have been guided by one of the trustees of the school who were:
George C WATKINS, President
R L DODGE, Treasurer
Elbert H ENGLISH, Secretary
General William E ASHLEY, Luke E BARBER, J J CLENDENIN, George A GALLAGHER, J A HENRY, G McPHERSON, T D MERRICK, and Samuel W WILLIAMS.
or past governor Roane, maybe even Solon Borland (have no idea if he was a mason) who I'm reading in Margaret Ross' book, had Elbert H English as a law partner and jr. editor, for a while.