Candler recently lost two of its best-loved saints. William Mallard, professor emeritus of church history, died on December 23, 2014, at the age of 87, and Fred B. Craddock, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Emeritus, died on March 6, 2015, at the age of 86. Both legendary teachers put their inimitable stamps on this place, and were honored as Candler Centennial Medalists at the school’s Centennial Celebration in fall 2014.

Bill Mallard was Candler’s longest-serving professor, teaching from 1957-2000. During those 43 years, he shaped the lives of generations of students, along with the school’s culture and curriculum. A leading voice on the faculty, he demonstrated strong commitments to civil rights, academic freedom and collegiality, the church—and perhaps most of all—teaching. Mallard was known for his unfailingly whimsical presentation, occasionally unconventional methods, and unparalleled broad reach as he taught thousands of students at Candler and thousands more lifelong learners in church programs around the region. His impact on Candler might be illustrated most clearly by the course he co-taught with Roberta Bondi, says David Pacini, professor of historical theology. “Their practice of opening each class with a full-throated rendition of ‘Give Me that Old Time Religion’ won the hearts of many a Candler student who otherwise might not have found the intricacies of early Christian church history anywhere near as enticing as they did.”

Described by some as “one of the most important homileticians in America for the last forty years,” Fred Craddock appeared on many lists that marked his impact. In 1996, Baylor University named him one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world, and in 2010, his 1985 book, Preaching—widely used as a textbook in seminaries around the world—was ranked fourth on Preaching magazine’s list of the 25 most influential preaching books of the past 25 years. When Craddock came to Candler in 1979 as the first Bandy Professor of Preaching and New Testament, he was already a world-renowned preacher, but he was also a scholar. His advocacy of an inductive style of preaching was groundbreaking in the field of homiletics and continues to influence countless pastors in the pulpit today, four decades after its introduction.

We are grateful to God for the lives of Bill Mallard and Fred Craddock. To read fuller tributes and access links to videos of their memorial services, visit the news section.