Five Guys From Harding

by Taylor Hodges

In 2020, while the world was shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom calls became a normal way of life as a means of communication. 

While most people used Zoom for work meetings or classes, a group of five friends — Steve Awtrey (‘82), David Perkins (‘80), Jake Jensen (‘80), Mark Brasher (‘81) and Dick Clay (‘81) — who met at Harding in the 1980s used it as a way to reconnect their friendship, and it turned into a yearly tradition of trips around the country.

“Every time we get together, we talk about life stuff, and we talk about serious stuff,” said Clay. “It’s just great fellowship with guys that have the same beliefs, same values and who truly care about you. It makes something already special into something super special."

The group, known as the “Five Guys from Harding,” also sold books together for the Southwestern Company and became close friends. When the pandemic closed things down, they decided to start meeting virtually and then took their first trip in 2023.

It started with a trip back where their friendship began when they returned to Harding and stayed at an Airbnb in Fairfield, Arkansas. In 2024, they met in Atlanta before taking a trip to Branson, Missouri, in 2025.

Their most recent trip was in Montana where they “hiked the M” above the University of Montana campus, rode the Hiawatha bike trail and floated the Clark Fork River before attending a Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan concert at the Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

“Each year we’re probably going to be a little more adventurous,” said Awtrey. “But the main thing is just us being together.” 

As most do after college, the group went their separate ways to start careers and families in different corners of the country. But after 40 years, they were able to reconnect and pick up where they left off. 

“It was almost like there hadn’t been a break, except updating on what we’ve been doing,” said Perkins. “In terms of being able to talk and get along, it was like we picked up where we left off.”

Their bond, forged decades earlier amid the long days of selling books, has proven remarkably resilient. What began as a simple way to stay connected during the isolation of the pandemic has blossomed into something far richer — a deliberate tradition of showing up for one another year after year, no matter the miles that separate them.

In a time when friendships often fade under the weight of busy careers and family demands, the “Five Guys from Harding” offer a reminder of what endures.

“My experience selling books with these guys did really cement some things and gave me a bond there that arose 40 something years after graduation,” said Clay. “There’s a good chance you’re going to meet special people (at Harding) that you will have as lifelong friends, whether you’re trying to or not.”

Whether they’re hiking a hillside, floating a river or simply sharing stories late into the night, the real destination remains the same: the easy laughter and deep familiarity of friends who never truly lost touch.

As Awtrey put it, the adventures may grow bolder with time, but the heart of it all is simply being together — and after 40 years, that still feels like the greatest trip of all.