A Service of Celebration for the Life of 9l5~. S7/ek~n~ uv;~~~yi/DI~ CJI?e/.JDI~ ~- '30 May 14, 1908- June 19, 2006 The Twenty-Fourth Day of June, Two Thousand Six One O'clock in the Afternoon Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia ~~ronJW/~~- 'so In quietness and confidence shall be thy strength ... Quiet, dignified and resolute are words that best describe the character of The Reverend Dr. Melvin Hampton Watson '30 who departed this life on June 19, 2006. A religious leader, educator, and esteemed Morehouse alumnus, Melvin was born to Peter 0. and Lulia Watson in Atlanta, Georgia on May 14, 1908. The only surviving child of this union, the young boy suffered the loss of his mother at an early age. Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church was the center of Dr. Watson's early life. His father, Ebenezer's longtime church clerk and superintendent of the Sunday School, instilled in his son the importance of faith and an appreciation of the church as the cornerstone of the black community. At Ebenezer, the future theologian was exposed to the era's most powerful black preachers, including Reverend A. D. Williams, Reverend C. T Walker, Reverend L. K. Williams, Dr. Mordecai Wyatt Johnson '11, and many others. Dr. Watson entered Morehouse College in 1926 already dedicated to pursuing a life in ministry. He studied religion and theology under the tutelage of the great theologian Howard Thurman '23 who would become his dearest friend and mentor. Dr. Watson was deeply influenced by the leadership of President John Hope, as well as Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays. In a 1991 interview, Dr. Watson, referring to his mentors, reflected on this great legacy, "A Thurman, a Hope, a Mays, in their teaching and preaching, lifted up the ideal that the college man had to be a contributing man to his community and morally accountable." Upon graduating from Morehouse in 1930, Dr. Watson enrolled at Oberlin College, receiving a Bachelor of Divinity in 1932, and a Master of Arts and a Master of Sacred Theology degrees from Oberlin Graduate School of Theology in 1934. He later received his Doctorate in Theology from the Pacific School of Religion at Berkeley, California in 1948. The young scholar began a 24-year teaching career serving historically black colleges and universities in 1934, when he joined Shaw U niversity as a professor and dean of men. He also was a professor and dean of men at Dillard University from 1938 to 1944, and a professor and acting Dean of the chapel at Howard University from 1944 to 1946. While at Howard U niversity, Dr. Watson met Agnes Regina Robinson of Washington, D.C. whom he would later marry. Their union lasted fifty-three years until her death in 2003. Two children were born to this union, Melvin Hampton Jr. '72 (deceased), and Sharon Michelle, Spelman '76. Dr. Watson returned to Morehouse in 1946 as a professor and director of the School of Religion, a position he held for more than 30 years. In 1958, he helped found the Interdenominational Theological Center, serving as professor of theology for ten years. Drawing upon the examples of his teachers at Morehouse, Watson embraced a "hands-on" teaching style that "pointed the way" for countless students who went on to lives of service in the church and the academy. His wider service to the Atlanta community was through his ministry as pastor of Liberty Baptist Church from 1958-1990. Under his leadership, Liberty . became affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the New Era State Convention of Georgia. He initiated new ministries and organizations that are still vibrant features of the church's life. His most remarl