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Lipscomb community mourns the loss of longtime Bible professor Harvey Floyd

Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 | 

Share your favorite memories of Dr. Harvey Floyd

Listen to Dr. Floyd speaking at Summer Celebration 2017: Class 1  Class 2

He was a man of humble stature and a quiet nature, but Harvey Floyd had a powerful impact on generations of Lipscomb University students. Today, the Lipscomb community is mourning the loss of Floyd, who died Aug. 7 at the age of 87.

A native of Grenada, Mississippi, Floyd was legendary for his Greek, Holy Spirit and Romans classes among others. He earned a B.A. degree from Lipscomb University, his M.A. in Bible at Harding School of Theology and his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University in Classical Greek.

While a student at Lipscomb he was named Bachelor of Ugliness and his future wife, Virginia Austin, was crowned Miss Lipscomb during the same year. They both graduated on June 1, 1953. They were married four days later.

He began teaching sixth grade while working on his master’s and in 1955 began teaching at Lipscomb University, where he taught until 2010. He also taught Japanese students at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ for 40 years. As a Lipscomb faculty member, Floyd has been recognized with the John William Baker Award in 1984; Outstanding Teacher Awards in 1981, 1987, 1998 (three times and ineligible to receive again); and the permanent notation “Outstanding Teacher” with his name in the college catalog. He is the author of Is the Holy Spirit for Me?

The College of Bible & Ministry honored Floyd on May 11 with a special dinner in Shamblin Theater. Mark Lanier (’81) led a panel of alumni who told stories about and gave tribute to Floyd.

“In a time when we generally lacked the language and the willingness to talk about the Spirit, Dr. Floyd’s book and classes on the Holy Spirit began to help us break through that narrow silence,” Leonard Allen, dean of the College of Bible & Ministry, said at the dinner. “It was an important move. And it was risky. But it helped open the door to a fuller and more sound doctrine of the Holy Spirit. We are in his debt… What students received from Dr. Floyd was an ardent and relentless focus on the text of Scripture and the tools one needed to teach and preach it."

Read memories about Dr. Floyd

Floyd is survived by his wife of 65 years, Virginia Floyd, and his son, Harvey Leslie Floyd "H.L."

Visitation will be on Friday, Aug. 10, from 6-8 p.m. at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Nashville. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m., with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. at the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ auditorium.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Harvey and Virginia Floyd Endowed Scholarship at Lipscomb University. To make a gift, visit this link. Under "select an area," select "Colleges & Schools." Under the "select a designation" directory select College of Bible and Ministry. Select "other" in the "select a specific designation" field. In the "special instructions box, indicate that the gift is for the Harvey and Virginia Floyd Endowed Scholarship in the box for "other."