Dr. J.R. Faulkner, 1914-2009

I had the privilege of working for Dr. Faulkner while I was a student at Tennessee Temple University. He was the president emeritus of the university and former pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was Dr. Lee Roberson's right-hand man for many, many years. Dr. Faulkner was a great artist, teacher and leader and I was honored to work for him and his secretary, Mildred Eifert, while at TTU as a student. It is with great sadness that I report his passing last night at the age of 95.

However, there is also joy. Dr. Faulkner was a frail 95 and from what I understand, legally blind. But he was truly a man of God-- gentle, kind and with a smile that could light up a room.

I found this video of Dr. Faulkner on You Tube. Many thanks to the family who made it. It shows Dr. Faulkner at age 93-- nearly bald, without his trademark glasses and bent from age but his mind still bright and alert. He was known for having the ability to recite poems he had memorized many years before and he does so here as a tribute to his wife (seated next to him) who passed away last year.