Even as a 12-year-old kid, Logan Penrod knew there was something special about Liberty University.
When he traveled to Lynchburg with his dad, Guy Penrod, a Liberty alumnus and nationally known gospel singer and former Gaither Vocal Band member, Liberty students never made him feel out of place.
“All of them were very kind,” Logan Penrod said. “It’s not normal for a society like ours. The older people get, the less they want to talk to younger kids.”
He traveled to Thomas Road Baptist Church several times when his father held concerts there and even sang some songs with his siblings.
He remembers riding alongside the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Sr. in his huge black Suburban as he honked his ultra-loud train horn at unsuspecting students.
“One person dropped their books,” Logan recalls. “We had to stop and apologize.”
Of course, the apology was accompanied by Falwell’s legendary deep belly laugh.
Now the once impressionable boy has grown up to be a 6-foot 5-inch 18-year-old and is among the incoming freshman class at Liberty.
He had a 3.5 GPA when graduating from Gateway Christian School in Memphis, Tenn.
He also has the Penrod pedigree, which is tied closely to the Liberty experience. His mother, Angela, also attended Liberty. She was a member of the women’s basketball team. His brother, Tyler, is currently a sophomore.
“Choosing Liberty was a no-brainer,” Logan Penrod said. “Liberty’s Christian environment was a very big factor. There is some type of worship service almost every night. I think that is amazing. Liberty was always my first option. I never thought about going to a secular school. It never crossed my mind.”
Logan said the ability to worship freely was high on his priority list.
“At a lot of colleges, you don’t feel comfortable expressing your faith,” he said. “It’s frowned upon by some professors and other students will give you a hard time because of your beliefs. I just don’t like that.”
While Logan is not quite sure what his course of study will be, he said he has a lot of interest in people and music.
He plans to try out for Liberty’s Convocation Praise Band.
Convocation is North America’s largest weekly gathering of Christian students. It is held three times a week in Liberty’s Vines Center and hosts guest speakers of national significance from every sphere of society. Every service begins with a time of worship, led by the praise band.
