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Summer 2000
JOHN HENRY ALSBROOKS '36 of Homewood
died May 23, 2000. He was retired from Western Grain Company
and Siler City Mills as a sales executive.
MARTHA C. BANKSTON '57 of Birmingham died May 9, 2000. A teacher,
she was instrumental in starting the "dancers" at
football games while teaching at Ensley High School and continued
the work at Mountain Brook High School from 1971 through 1999.
ALVIN BOYD '55 of Cookeville, Tenn., died June 4, 1998. He owned
Boyd Drug Store.
SETH "Wiggy" BOX '59 died March 15, 2000, at his home
in Mocksville, N.C. He was retired from the Clow Company and
was a substitute teacher in the Davis County school system,
teaching nearly every day in a variety of subjects.
JAMES HERBERT "Herb" BROWNE '37 of Carrollton, Ga.,
died June 28, 2000. He was a retired executive with the Singer
Company and the Southwire Company. A member of Pi Gamma Mu honor
society, he was quarterback of the 1935 Howard College football
team that tied Rose Bowl champion Alabama, 7-7.
Dr. HOWARD A. BURTON '36 died Feb. 15, 2000, in Riverside, Calif.
He taught English literature at Purdue University and Riverside
College in California.
In 1991, at age 75, he helped celebrate the Samford sesquicentennial
by running the 10-mile distance from the East Lake campus site
to Samford on Homecoming.
LOTTIE SIDLE BYARS '46 died March 4, 2000. A nurse, she was
retired from St. Martin's in the Pines nursing home.
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 Beloved
Teacher Mabry
Lunceford Dies at 80
When Dr. Rod Davis '58 returned to Samford in 1990 as dean
of the Howard College of Arts and Sciences, he had dinner with
Dr. Mabry Lunceford '43, his former religion professor. Lunceford
surprised Davis by telling him, "I want you to speak at
my funeral."
Taken aback, Davis replied, "I will, but you'll have to
give me a long time to prepare."
Lunceford died at the age of 80 July 21, and Davis was good to
his word. In a memorial service in Reid Chapel, he described
Lunceford in this way: "He saw his work as a holy vocation
that was inseparable from the rest of his life, which was a life
of gratitude to God that he expressed in all he did."
Lunceford taught thousands of students over his 40-plus year
career on the Samford faculty. At the same time, he never lost
sight of the needs of people unable to attend college or seminary,
but who felt led to preach. For that reason, he spent untold
hours teaching Bible courses to rural ministers and lay people
through the Howard College Extension Division.
Lunceford "had a natural and unaffected manner of putting
his Lord first, others second and himself last," said Samford
President Thomas E. Corts. "His quiet confidence needed
no reinforcement or affirmation."
Corts noted that "his brand of caring encouragement and
gentle manliness" impressed generations of grateful students
and friends. "The Lord gave him a warm and loving heart
and he opened it graciously to his students and colleagues, to
all," said Corts.
After graduating from Samford and earning a Th.D. degree at Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary, Lunceford joined the Samford faculty
in 1954. He taught at the University and in the Extension Division
until lhis death. He won every honor Samford could bestow upon
a teacher, from Buchanan Teaching Award to Distinguished Faculty
Member, Endowed Professor and Friendliest Professor (a record
seven times).
He was a charter member of Baptist Church of the Covenant, "one
of Covenant's pillars," said Pastor Roger Lovette '57.
Lunceford is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary Sue, whom
he met in the third grade in Lanett, and their children, Susan
and Gene.
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FLORINE ELIZABETH CALHOUN
'51 died Feb. 18, 2000. She retired in 1990 as associate dean
of Samford's Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing. She joined the
nursing school in 1965 after serving as a staff nurse. She also
held nursing degrees from the University of Alabama (B.S.) and
Emory University (M.S.).
RALPH CALLAHAN '29, longtime president of The Anniston Star,
died June 20, 2000. He had been the Star's director and consultant
since 1973, when he retired as president of Consolidated Publishing.
He was a former president of the Alabama Press Association and
the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
MILDRED CLARK '40 of Bessemer died April 17, 2000. She taught
music at Ways Station, Ga., Anniston and Greenwood Elementary
in Bessemer.
DORIS E. COPPAGE '50 died April 14, 2000. She was a registered
nurse at Brookwood Hospital, Birmingham, for many years and
had written articles for professional nursing journals.
Dr. OSCAR A. DAVIS '35 of Gadsden, 92, died June 21, 2000. He
was pastor of First Baptist Church, Gadsden, for 33 years and
served a variety of churches as interim pastor during retirement.
He held the honorary doctor of divinity degree from Samford
and was author of a history of First Baptist Church.
LEE ENOCH L'31 of Nashville, Tenn., died June 6, 2000.
MARY GLOVER HAGOOD '43 died June 3, 2000. She was a retired
Jefferson County business education teacher.
ANDREW R. HILL, Jr., '81 died March 14, 2000. He was owner of
FYI Computers, Birmingham.
ESTHER STRANGE HOLMES
'25 of Birmingham died March 1, 2000. She retired from Birmingham
Trust National Bank.
NORMAN H. HORTON '40 of Tallahassee, Fla., died Nov. 25, 1999.
ALLEN VERNON HYATT '34 died June 17, 2000. He was a former principal
of Huntsville High School.
MARTHA JO JORDAN '51 of Centre died April 18, 2000. A longtime
community leader and teacher in the Cherokee County school system,
she directed the music program at Centre Elementary School and
taught piano.
ELBERTA PERRYMON KALEY '45 of Warrior died June 15, 2000. She
taught school for 32 years.
J. F. KELLEY, Sr., '45
of Webb died April 17, 2000. He served churches in south Alabama
for more than 30 years and was director of associational missions
of Coffee Baptist Association from 1979 until his retirement
in 1987.
MILLIE ANN LAWLEY '66 of Pell City died May 18, 2000. She was
retired from the Pell City School System and had been church
organist at Pell City First Baptist Church for over 20 years.
ERICA LEWIS '93 of Atlanta, Ga., died Feb. 24, 2000. She was
employed with Delta Airlines.
JOSEPH R. MOLAY, Jr. '60 of Birmingham died April 20, 2000.
A member of Pi Gamma Mu social science honor society, he was
retired from the Internal Revenue Service, where he was an appellate
judge in the appeals division.
 Dr. Howard A. Burton
'36 pauses beside a historical marker at the site of Samford's
former East Lake campus with his diploma in hand. This was his
starting point for the 10-mile run to the Shades Valley campus
in 1991. |
LOYAL PHILLIPS '28 died April
23, 2000. He was a former publisher of newspapers in North
Carolina and Florida. His newspaper career spanned 70 years.
He was a former Man of the Year in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.,
and Alumnus of the Year in 1981.
WILLIAM JENNINGS SMITH L'37 of Little Rock, Ark., died May
2, 2000. He was a founding partner of Mehaffy, Smith and Williams
law firm. He helped shape state public policy regarding labor
and worker's compensation and veteran's legislation.
GILBERT S. TAYLOR '60 of Columbia, Miss., died April 3, 2000.
He owned Taylor's Pharmacy and also opened several retail
furniture stores.
JACK R. THOMPSON, Sr. '37 of Birmingham died May 9, 2000.
He was retired from the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Commander.
He was a graduate of Birmingham School of Law.
MARY CAROLEEN GROSS
TURNER '60 of Houston, Texas, died May 8, 2000. A former member
of the Samford A Cappella Choir, she taught in Kentucky public
and private schools.
MAY ATCHISON WALKER '38 died
Feb. 15, 2000, in DeLand, Fla. She was a retired English teacher
at DeLand Junior High School and Daytona Beach Community College.
She worked as a volunteer in the prison system, helping prisoners
prepare for the GED. She held a master's degree from Southern
Baptist Seminary.
Dr. O. LAFAYETTE WALKER '39 died March 11, 2000, in DeLand,
Fla. He joined the religion faculty at Stetson University
in 1945 and became dean of the Stetson School of Religion
in 1946, serving until his retirement in 1981. He held the
Ph.D. degree from Southern Baptist Seminary.
May Walker
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Lafayette Walker
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Col. HAROLD E. WHALEY
M.B.A./J.D. '81 died May 23, 2000, in an aircraft accident while
on duty with the Alabama Air National Guard. A graduate of the
U.S. Air Force Academy, he had commanded the 117th and another
refueling wing in support of last year's NATO bombing missions
in Kosovo and Serbia.
MILA ESPY WOODS '70 of Headland died April 20, 2000. A member
of Chi Omega sorority, she served on the board of directors
of the Headland National Bank and Espy Mercantile Company.
RUBY WHORTON WOOLLEY '32 of Wilsonville died May 6, 2000. She
was a retired teacher from Wylam Elementary School.
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