2001 Distinguished Alumni/ae Awards and Anderson Fellowships Presented

The Distinguished Alumni/ae Awards and the Mr. and Mrs. Olof Anderson Sr. Fellowships for Excellence in Pastoral Ministry were presented in March at the 2001 Alumni/ae Reunion Lunch, part of the 2001 Festival of Theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

The Distinguished Alumni/ae Awards are presented to alumni/ae in recognition of their vision, accomplishments and leadership. The 2001 Awards were presented to Dr. Thomas C. Duncan of Birmingham, Alabama; Rev. Harold B. Knox, also of Birmingham; and Rev. Dr. Syngman Rhee of Richmond, Va.

Dr. Thomas C. Duncan received his A.B. degree from Southwestern (now Rhodes College) in 1942; his B.D. from Louisville Seminary in 1945, where he served as president of the student body and received the Patterson Fellowship in Biblical Theology; his Th.M. from Princeton University in 1948 and the Doctor of Divinity degree from Rhodes College in 1963. Dr. Duncan served as a U.S. Naval Reserve chaplain and as a pastor in York, Ala., and Shreveport, La., before becoming pastor of Shades Valley Presbyterian Church in Birmingham in 1960. He served as pastor of Shades Valley until his retirement in 1985 and is currently pastor emeritus of the church. During his tenure, he also served as Moderator of the Synod of Alabama (PCUS) and on the Board of Trustees of Louisville Seminary. Dr. Duncan is married, and he and his wife have two sons.

The Rev. Harold B. Knox received his A.B. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1950 and his M.Div. degree from Louisville Seminary in 1953. Following graduation, he served as co-pastor of Muscle Shoals Larger Parish in Alabama, a parish composed of five rural churches, and of First Presbyterian Church in Russellville, Ky. In 1963, Rev. Knox became pastor of Five Mile Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, a position he held until his retirement in 1999. He led the church in celebrating its 125th and 150th anniversaries, and his pastorate is regarded as one of the longest tenures in a single Presbyterian church in Birmingham in recent history. He has held various committee and leadership positions at the presbytery and synod levels in both Kentucky and Alabama and has served as a General Assembly commissioner on three occasions. He has also served as a leader in his community in both Kentucky and Alabama, working with organizations such as the Red Cross, the Rotary Club, and the P.T.A. Currently, Rev. Knox is stated clerk of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, a position he has held since 1989. He is married, and he and his wife have two sons and three grandchildren.

The Rev. Dr. Syngman Rhee received his B.A. degree from Davis and Elkins College; his M.Div. from Louisville Seminary in 1960; his M.T.S. from Yale Divinity School and his Doctor of Religion degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. He has served as a pastor in Kentucky; campus minister at the University of Louisville and in various positions in global missions in the Presbyterian Church (USA) at the national level. He has also served as president of the National Council of Churches of Christ and as an NCCC delegate to locations including Cuba, the Vatican and the Peoples Republic of China.

Rev. Dr. Rhee currently serves as chair of the Mission Committee and a member of the Administrative Council of the Atlantic Korean American Presbytery and as the distinguished visiting professor of mission and evangelism and director of the Asian American Ministry and Mission Center at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School for Christian Education in Richmond. Va. In June 2000, Rev. Dr. Rhee was elected moderator of the 212th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the first Asian-American to hold the position. He is married, and he and his wife have three children.

__________________________
Mr. and Mrs. Olof Anderson, Sr. Fellowships for Excellence in Pastoral Ministry are awarded to four alumni/ae currently serving in parish ministry and with at least two years of experience in that area. The Fellowship is a $1,000 award to be used for continuing education. The 2001 Fellowships were presented to four 1998 Master of Divinity graduates: Rev. Teresa McDowell, Rev. William Morris, Rev. James Truesdell and Rev. Robert Wilson.

Rev. Teresa (Terri) McDowell is a graduate of Alma College. She is currently the associate pastor of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C.

Rev. William Morris is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and is currently serving as associate pastor at Brick Presbyterian Church in Brick Town, N.J.

Rev. James Truesdell, a graduate of Houghton College, is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Amory, Miss.

Rev. Robert Wilson is a graduate of Whitworth College. He is currently serving as designated pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Wilbur, Wa.