Mark Roberts (’79) has kept a close connection to the many names and faces from Liberty University’s history for much of his life — so much so that many have called him Liberty’s “Super Alumnus.” He’s the man behind the popular Liberty University Friends Facebook group, now with over 4,400 members.
From his home outside Dallas, Texas, Roberts spends an average of one to two hours a day updating the group on news and events at Liberty, sharing historical photos, quotes, and special memories, as well as celebrating members’ birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Roberts’ introduction to the school came from Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell’s “Old Time Gospel Hour,” a weekly television program from Thomas Road Baptist Church.
“My mom would watch it and keep telling me, ‘That’s where I want you to go to school,’” Roberts said.
In 1973, Roberts left his home in Pennsylvania with a suitcase and a footlocker. He arrived on Treasure Island, a property in the James River that the church used primarily as a summer camp. Cabin-style bunk beds were the only sleeping arrangements.
“I watched my parents drive across the bridge after dropping me off. They drove up the hill, out of sight, and I looked around me and thought, ‘Where am I? What am I doing here?’” Roberts joked.
He pursued degrees in history and youth ministry, spending much of his time with the Student Government Association and music ministry teams like the LBC Chorale and the Enpsalms.
Looking back at those years of traveling to events where Dr. Falwell would speak about his big aspirations for the young school — even when students didn’t have a campus to call their own — Roberts admits he had doubts.
“I was standing in the snow with Jerry in 1977 when he said he was going to build a campus here, and we all were freezing and saying, ‘Yeah right,’” Roberts said, referring to a special prayer meeting where the student body, faculty, and leadership asked God for the finances needed to begin campus construction.
“He would say things like, ‘Liberty will someday have 50,000 students,’ and just about all of us thought that there was no way it would happen. He, along with maybe a small handful of people, had the vision of what was going to happen there. So looking back, we sort of think about why we didn’t have that same vision … why didn’t we believe him?”
But the doubts turned to belief as just seven months later, students entered two new classroom buildings as well as new residence halls. The miracles continued, and Roberts kept a close eye on the progress after graduation. He spent the first two years as a history teacher at Lynchburg Christian Academy (now Liberty Christian Academy) before moving to Texas and beginning a career that has included a variety of sales and financial planning positions. Roberts remained an active alumnus, serving as president of the Alumni Association and its Texas chapter throughout the 1980s and early ’90s.
After marrying and starting a family, Roberts said he wasn’t as actively involved with Liberty, but that changed when his daughter, Emily, chose to attend LU. He found himself reengaging with the university on a new level, this time through the wide-reaching medium of social media.
“Around the time my daughter was getting ready to go to school, I kept feeling that there was some reason or (inclination) to start a Liberty alumni Facebook page.”
He created the Liberty University Friends group in June 2015 primarily with his own former classmates, but the page’s following grew quickly from there. Today, members represent every decade of Liberty’s history.
“To me, I look at it as a ministry,” he said. “I think of it as a way to connect with people who love Liberty, and it’s got a life of its own really. I can barely keep up with it. I didn’t want to make it all about nostalgia … but history is important because it reminds you where you’ve come from and what happened 30, 40, 50 years ago.”
To Roberts, Liberty is also a part of his family’s legacy. He is one of six siblings to attend; his son, Logan, is the 27th family member.
In August, Roberts was invited to speak to students at the School of Business about Liberty’s early days and the importance of staying connected to Liberty after graduation. Roberts was also part of an alumni panel at the Homecoming Alumni Reunion.
Roberts said alumni are drawn back to Liberty because they see that the core values are still the same, and they are proud to have played a part in fulfilling the mission.
In spite of the big changes and even the hardships that have come over five decades, “It’s still God’s school,” he said.
