Buies Creek, N.C.–First and foremost a preacher, Dr. Charles Barrett Howard enjoyed a career behind the pulpit that would last for 70 years, became the first Religion professor at Campbell University and established an educational fund that has benefited the entire community. On Tuesday, March 11, Campbell University’s Department of Religion and Philosophy unveiled a portrait of Howard that will hang in the department to remind students of his legacy.”Dr. Howard died 20 years ago this past February 27th,” said Dr. Glenn Jonas, department chair and Charles Howard Professor of Religion at Campbell. “This beautiful portrait will be a constant reminder to our students and faculty that much of the great tradition of our department rests on the shoulders of Dr. Charles Howard.”Born in 1900, Howard became an ordained minister in 1918. He served 26 different congregations in North Carolina and preached more than 20,000 sermons in 23 different states. In 1934, he became the first pastor of the Buies Creek First Baptist Church, succeeding J.A. Campbell, founder of Campbell University. Two years later in 1936, Howard began teaching Bible at Campbell and became the first full-time professor of religion in 1946.Although he and his wife Alma never earned more than $3,000 per year, together they were able to establish and manage the Howard Memorial Christian Educational Fund, which has distributed more than $4,000,000 to date in the form of loans, scholarships and gifts to students and Christian workers such as missionaries, pastors and employees of Christian institutions. The fund has also endowed two chairs at Campbell, the Howard Chair of Religion and the Alma Dark Howard Chair of Church Music. In addition there are a number of endowed scholarships that bear the Howards’ name. The fund has also provided low interest loans to churches and faculty and staff, and has supported prison ministries, handicapped ministry, counseling services and other programs.”Dr. Howard is a legend among Baptists in the South,” Jonas said. I want our students to have an awareness of the great tradition they follow.”The portrait was unveiled at Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek. Howard’s sons Barry and Henry Howard and Barry’s wife Beverley were on hand for the unveiling.”We are very, very pleased to have Dr. Glenn Jonas occupy the Howard Chair of Religion,” said Barry Howard. “We greatly appreciate his efforts to keep our father’s legacy alive so that divinity students today will know where they are rooted. If you don’t know where you came from, you probably don’t know where you’re going.”Photo Copy: From left: Dr. Glenn Jonas, chairman of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, and Barry and Henry Howard, sons of Dr. Charles Howard, at the unveiling of Dr. Howard’s portrait at Memorial Baptist Church.
Legacy of Baptist leader honored at Campbell University