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Roy Honeycutt, former Southern Seminary president, dies


LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)–Roy Honeycutt, who served as president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1982-93, died Dec. 21 from head injuries sustained the previous day in an accident at his home in Louisville, Ky. He was 78.

Honeycutt, Southern Seminary’s eighth president, guided the seminary through the initial years of the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention and gained recognition as a significant voice in denominational conflict.

Among Honeycutt’s major accomplishments at Southern were the construction of the main section of the Honeycutt Campus Center and a significant expansion of the faculty.

“Dr. Roy Honeycutt was a Christian gentleman,” Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said. “He gave so much of his life to the Southern Baptist Convention and to Southern Seminary in particular. He led during difficult times and was not afraid of controversy. At the personal level he was as gracious a human being as you could ever expect or hope to meet.”

Born Oct. 30, 1926, in Grenada, Miss., Honeycutt was a two-time graduate of Southern Seminary, receiving his Ph.D. in 1958 and his master of divinity in 1952. He served as academic dean at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1971-75 and chairman of Midwestern’s Old Testament department from 1963-75 prior to joining the Southern Seminary faculty as a professor of Old Testament.

Honeycutt served as dean of the school of theology at Southern from 1975-80 and provost at the Louisville, Ky., campus from 1976-82. After retiring as president, he was Southern’s chancellor from 1994-97.

Honeycutt published numerous books and articles, including a volume of the “Broadman Bible Commentary” in 1970.

Mohler, who served as an assistant to Honeycutt from 1983-89, praised Honeycutt for a strong commitment to his church, his family and Southern Seminary.

“He and his wife June were married for 56 years and were a model of commitment to each other and shared commitment to this institution,” Mohler said. “The entire Southern Seminary family grieves with June Honeycutt and the Honeycutt family and is praying for them at this time.”

In addition to his wife, Honeycutt is survived by two children, Roy Lee and Mary Anne. Visitation is scheduled from 2-6 p.m. Dec. 22 at Arch L. Heady-Cralle Funeral Home in Louisville. Funeral services will be held Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. at Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville.
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