From one of Liberty University’s earliest graduates to three generations that have set foot on Liberty Mountain, the Hartley family has 12 Liberty alumni who can attest to what it means to be Champions for Christ.
The family’s association with Liberty began like many others’ when the school first started. Cliff Hartley and his wife, Jean, watched Liberty’s founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, preach on “The Old-Time Gospel Hour” TV broadcast from Thomas Road Baptist Church and heard him speak about the new university in Lynchburg, Va. The Hartleys traveled from Ohio to visit during the first semester in Fall 1971. Impressed by the school and the people they met, they moved to Lynchburg the following spring, and Cliff enrolled in courses for the summer term.
“Jerry Falwell was a man of vision, and he promoted that very effectively and enthusiastically,” Hartley said. “We knew the church and pastor, and we were excited to be a part of what was a brand-new school at the time.”
At 28 years old, Cliff enrolled in the pastoral theology program and finished his bachelor’s degree in three years, graduating in 1975 and becoming one of the first pastors ordained under Falwell. The couple with their two sons moved to Ironton, Ohio, to start a new Baptist church plant. Cliff has served in pastoral ministry for 45 years and recently stepped down from being the Director of Missions for the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio after 10 years.
His two sons, Brett Hartley (’87, ’20) and Todd Hartley (’04, ’07, ’10, ’12), followed in their father’s footsteps to Liberty, where they met their wives; Brett married Tatiana Hartley (’23) and Todd married Sue Hartley (’89).
“We had a conviction that our children were to be trained right for great works for the Kingdom, doing so in the right environment, and we found that there was no better place for that than Liberty University,” Cliff said. “Liberty was proven well to us, and we were sure that it would remain that way for the second generation and into the third generation.”
Four of his grandkids — Madison Hetzler (’13, ’15), Taylor Hartley (’18), Cara Holcomb (’18), and Nathan Hartley (’20) — were next. The family and their Liberty connections soon expanded; Madison married Josh Hetzler (’12, ’15), Taylor married Rachel Hartley, Cara married Jonathan Holcomb (’23), and Nathan married Emily Hartley (’18).
And the fourth generation in the Hartley family could be future Flames. Josh and Madison have two young sons that they hope will attend Liberty someday, and Nathan and Emily have one son.
“If I had to boil it down to what keeps us at Liberty, it’s the Christian mission and the application of a biblical worldview in whatever fields you may go into,” said Josh, a lawyer in Chesterfield County, Va. “Whatever the degree is for, it’s the same vision of Training Champions for Christ to make an impact through whatever He’s called you to do.”
