2004 Distinguished Alumni Award
Professor Emeritus Jackson Carroll ’56 Receives 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award
October 14, 2004
Jackson Carroll, left, receives the 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award from Bob Howell, chair of the award committee. |
The annual award recognizes graduates of the Duke Divinity School for their service to God, the church and the community. Established in 1973, it is the highest honor given by the Divinity School Alumni Association.
Carroll currently is project director for Pulpit & Pew: Research in Pastoral Leadership, a major study funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc. and based at the divinity school.
"I was shocked and surprised, but very pleased," Carroll said about learning he would receive the award. "It is a great honor and I appreciate it more than I can say."
The award was presented during Duke Divinity School’s annual Convocation & Pastor’s School, a three-day event that includes class reunions, other alumni events, continuing education seminars and daily worship.
A native of Chester, S.C., Carroll received his A.B. degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Wofford College in 1953, his B.D. degree from Duke University in 1956, and his Ph.D. (with honors) from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1970. He was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree (honorary) by Wofford in 1990.
Before joining the faculty of Duke University in 1993, Carroll served as assistant minister of St. Michael’s Church, Dumfries, Scotland (1956-57); pastor of Mt. Holly Methodist Church, Rock Hill, S.C. (1957-1961); Methodist chaplain, Duke University (1961-1956); lecturer, Princeton University (1968); assistant to associate professor, Candler School of Theology, Emory University (1968-1974); and professor of religion and society at Hartford Seminary (1974-1993). At Hartford, he also was founding director of the Center for Social and Religious Research (1974-1988), vice president of the seminary (1988-89), and interim president of the seminary (1989-90). He was named William Douglas MacKenzie Distinguished Professor at Hartford in 1990.
Carroll has authored numerous journal articles and research reports. He also is author, co-author, or editor of 13 books, including "Bridging Divided Worlds: Generational Cultures in Congregations," "Mainline to the Future: Congregations for the 21st Century," "Studying Congregations: A New Handbook for Congregational Studies," and "Being There: Culture and Formation in Two Theological Schools." "Being There" received the 1998 Distinguished Book Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Dean L. Gregory Jones said the alumni award was well deserved. "Jack Carroll has had a distinguished career as a sociologist of religion and especially as an observer of clergy," Jones said. "He has provided strong leadership as a researcher, teacher and colleague here at Duke, and we are thrilled with this recognition of his faithful service to the church and academy."
Carroll is a retired clergy member of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church and is active at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham. He is married to the former Anne Ewing of Ellerbe, N.C. They have two daughters, Susan Carroll Whitcomb and Frances Carroll Strumph, both of Durham, and six grandchildren.