Dr. Rudyard Kipling Bent was an educator at the University of Arkansas and primarily taught advanced education techniques. Bent (often referred to as R. K. or Rud) was born in 1901 in Rock Cave, West Virginia, to parents Paris Lorenzo Bent and Morna Allen Peterson. His father was a Methodist preacher which greatly influenced R. K.'s life and Methodist Christian beliefs as an adult. The family worked on farms to supplement Paris' preacher job and the family frequently moved to work on different farms, never staying more than four years in a row in any single community. R. K. went to Beverly High School in Beverly, WV but finished his diploma in Elkins, WV in 1919. He went to the University of West Virginia at Morgantown during his freshman year of college. The following year, R. K. attended West Virginia Wesleyan College at Buchanan, WV. In 1921, after his father's death, R. K. began teaching in Goshen, WV and continued pursuing his degree while accepting teaching jobs and moving to Alton and then Sutton, West Virginia. In 1925, he went back to the University at Morgantown to complete his degree but faced financial difficulties and took time off to save money for tuition and expenses. In 1927, he completed his B. A. degree. After graduation, R. K. became principal of Smithfield High School in Pennsylvania. He completed his master’s degree at the University of West Virginia during summers when high school was not in session.

In 1931, R. K. Bent married Marguerite Ewing. Shortly after, R. K. attended the University of Minnesota for his Ph.D. and was graduate assistant to the acclaimed education theorist, Harl R. Douglass. In 1935, he received his Ph.D. and began his career at the U of A as an Assistant Professor of Education. He was promoted many times over his 34 years at U of A until his retirement in 1969. He became the first head of the secondary education program at Baptist Christian College in 1971 before changing jobs in 1972 to Professor of Education and Director of Student Teaching at The College of the Ozarks until 1977 when he retired from that position. He was included in an edition of "Who's Who in American Education" and "Leaders In Education". He was known for co-authoring Principles of Secondary Education (1941) which became widely acclaimed and was the leading seller among texts used in undergraduate principles courses in 1968-1969. Bent also served as visiting lecturer at the University of Southern California, University of Delaware, and The University of Colorado throughout his career. During the 1963-1964 school year, he received a Fulbright Fellowship to teach secondary education at the University of the Philippines.

Dr. Bent was active in trying to further African American education in the Southern U.S. and encouraged students to obtain graduate work and seek advanced degrees. Much of this was accomplished through his handling of grants from the Southern Education Foundation. He was a member of many professional organizations including Kiwanis International, the National Education Association, the Arkansas Education Association, Phi Delta Kappa, and Kappa Pi Delta. He served on several faculty committees at U of A including Student Teaching, Laboratory School, and Honorary Degrees. R. K. and Marguerite Bent had two daughters, Rosalie and Marcelia. Some of Bent’s greatest passions and hobbies were painting, wood-working, photography, as well as fishing and traveling. Rudyard Kipling Bent died on April 10, 1987, in Fayetteville, AR, at the age of 85.