1 WILLIAM WAYNE DEHONEY COLLECTION AR 880 Prepared by: Dorothy A. Davis Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives December, 2007 Updated February, 2012 2 William Wayne Dehoney Collection AR 880 Summary Main Entry: William Wayne Dehoney Collection Date Span: 1933 – 2005 Abstract: The Dehoney Collection contains materials from Dr. Dehoney’s tenure as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and as pastor of churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. The collection includes official papers, which are primarily of sermon notes, bound bulletins, correspondence, and clippings. Size: 60 linear ft. (102 boxes) Collection #: AR 880 Biographical Sketch Dr. William Wayne Dehoney was President of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1964 – 1966. Before his presidency, he participated in the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference as Vice–President and President. In addition, Dr. Dehoney served on the Alabama State Executive Board, Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, Executive Board of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and the Christian Life Commission, now the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He was also a Trustee of Union University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Campbellsville College, and Howard College. Dr. Dehoney was active in the Baptist World Alliance and served on its Executive Committee. He led missions to many countries in Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia, and served as North American Coordinator for the Crusade of the Americas. As part of his mission efforts, Dr. Dehoney co–founded BibleLand Travel, later Heritage Travel, which offered seminars and tours throughout the Holy Land. Today, Heritage Travel has transitioned into Dehoney Travel, which continues to offer Holy Land tours and tours in other countries. In 1998, Dr. Dehoney received the “Travel and Tourism Award,” during Israel’s 50th Anniversary, for his efforts to increase tourism in the country. Ordained in 1940, Dr. Dehoney pastored churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1941, and a Bachelor of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1946. Dr. Dehoney also received honorary doctorates from Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, Atlanta Law School, Atlanta, Georgia, and Campbellsville College, Campbellsville, Kentucky. Dr. Dehoney authored several works including The Dragon and the Lamb: The Resurgence of Christianity in the 3 People’s Republic of China, Homemade Happiness, African Diary, Preaching to Change Lives, and Disciples in Uniform. In 1967, Dr. Dehoney became Pastor of Walnut Street Baptist Church (originally First Baptist) in Louisville, Kentucky, where he served until his retirement in 1985. While at Walnut Street, Dr. Dehoney helped create the Neighborhood Development Corporation, a non–profit organization that renovated housing in Old Louisville. The church also built a 12–story retirement center, Treyton Oak Towers, in 1984. Other construction efforts completed at Walnut Street included a recreation center and Baptist Towers, an apartment building for low–income elderly. While at Walnut Street, Dr. Dehoney also implemented a television ministry that broadcasted the second Sunday service. Dr. Dehoney maintained an active sermon mailing entitled, The Pulpit, which included a sermon transcription. Following his retirement, Dr. Dehoney worked as Senior Professor of Preaching/Evangelism at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Dehoney continued to remain active in Heritage Travel and traveled extensively during his retirement until he suffered a massive stroke in 1996. Dr. Dehoney had many health problems after the stroke until his death November 15, 2007. Dr. Dehoney was born in New Raymer, Colorado on August 22, 1918. He married Lealice Bishop (b. January 22, 1925, d. October 23, 2007) August 24, 1944. The Dehoneys had one son and two daughters, William W. Dehoney, Jr., Rebecca Richardson, and Katherine Evitts. Scope and Content Note The William Wayne Dehoney Collection contains 60 linear feet of material in 102 boxes. The collection dates from 1933 until 2005, with the majority of the collection covering 1950 – 1985. The collection includes official papers, which are primarily of sermon notes, bound bulletins, correspondence, and clippings. Sermons are arranged alphabetically, with many files containing a Dictaphone recording or cassette tapes. Correspondence is arranged chronologically and alphabetically and primarily covers Dr. Dehoney’s involvement in the Southern Baptist Convention. Additional topics in the correspondence include discussions about Dr. Dehoney’s funeral sermon for Joseph Stalin and the Civil Rights Movement, particularly in reaction to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There are intermittent references to other current events, both nationally and within Baptist life, from the 1960s until the early 1990s. For example, there is reaction to Andrew Young’s invitation to speak at the 1977 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting and also to Bill Moyers dancing at a White House dinner. Some correspondence also deals with Dr. Dehoney’s involvement in the Baptist World Alliance and leading Crusades in South America. Another topic covered is the creation of BibleLand/Heritage Travel, a travel agency that started with seminar–style trips to the Holy Land and broadened to offer trips around the world. The remaining materials cover Dr. Dehoney’s work at Central Park Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, (1950 – 1958); First Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee, (1959 – 1966); and Walnut Street Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky (1968 – 1984). As part of the correspondence related to his pastorate in Birmingham, there is some information regarding the construction of a new sanctuary. Within the Walnut Street correspondence, there are references 4 to the television ministry, the construction of Baptist Towers, low–cost housing for the elderly, Treyton Oaks, a retirement center, and a recreation center. In addition, there are slides from Dr. Dehoney’s mission work and indexed notes that correspond for some slides. There are also letters from many prominent Southern Baptists including Clifton J. Allen, Jimmy Allen, Carl E. Bates, Baker J. Cauthen, Morris Chapman, W. A. Criswell, James T. Draper, W. C. Fields, H. C. Goerner, Billy Graham, Brooks Hays, Carl F. H. Henry, Herschel Hobbs, Roy L. Honeycutt, Jerry Lambdin, Richard Land, Duke McCall, Albert McClellan, Louis D. Newton, H. Franklin Paschall, Adrian Rogers, Arthur B. Rutledge, Porter Routh, James L. Sullivan, William Tanner, J. B. Weatherspoon, and others. Dehoney corresponded with several politicians including Jimmy Carter, Frank G. Clement, Albert Gore, Lyndon B. Johnson, Bill Moyers, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Personal papers in the collection are primarily notebooks, scrapbooks, and journals written by Dr. Dehoney’s father, William Warren Dehoney, that date from 1974 – 1984. There are also some clippings about Dr. Dehoney and his family. The notebooks contain genealogical information about the Dehoney family including interviews conducted with William Warren Dehoney and Ruby Northup. Researchers should note that three posters made from Dr. Dehoney’s photographs are in the Oversize Archival Items Drawer 5. Posters are titled, “Down to the Sea in Ships,” “Roman Aqueduct,” and “The Good Shepherd.” Dr. Dehoney donated this Collection to the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in 2006. Arrangement Chronologically and alphabetically Provenance Donated to the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in 2006. Preferred Citation William Wayne Dehoney Collection, Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee. Access Restrictions None Subject Terms Allen, Clifton Judson, 1901 – 1986 Allen, Jimmy Raymond, 1927 – Bates, Carl E., 1914 – 1999 Carter, Jimmy, 1924 – Cauthen, Baker James, 1909 – 1985 Chapman, Morris H., 1940 – Clement, Frank Goad, 1920 – 1969 5 Criswell, Wallie Amos, 1909 –2002 Dehoney, Wayne, 1918 – 2007 Dehoney, William Warren Draper, James T., 1935 – Fields, Wilmer Clemon, 1922 – Goerner, Henry Cornell, 1908 – 1998 Gore, Albert Sr., 1907 – 1998 Graham, Billy, 1918 – Hays, Brooks, 1898 – 1981 Henry, Carl Ferdinand Howard, 1913 – 2003 Hobbs, Herschel Harold, 1907 – 1995 Honeycutt, Roy Lee, 1926 – 2004 Lambdin, Jerry Elmer, 1889 – 1960 Land, Richard D., 1946 – McCall, Duke, 1914 – McClellan, Albert, 1912 – 2004 Moyers, Bill D. Newton, Louie DeVotie, 1892 – 1986 Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913 – 1994 Paschall, Henry Franklin, 1922 – Reagan, Ronald Rogers, Adrian, 1931 – 2005 Routh, Porter Wroe, 1911 – 1987 Sullivan, James Lenox, 1910 – Tanner, William Graydon, 1930 – Weatherspoon, Jesse Burton, 1886 – 1964 Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908 – 1973 Central Park Baptist Church (Birmingham, AL) First Baptist church (Jackson, TN) Walnut Street Baptist Church (Louisville, KY) Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Southern Baptist Convention – History – 20th century Baptists – Sermons Sermons – American Related Materials Dehoney, Wayne. African diary, 1966 Dehoney, Wayne. Baptists see black, 1969 Dehoney, Wayne. Disciples in uniform, 1967 Container List Box 1 1.1 Alston, Robert, 1974 1.2 Articles – Dehoney, Wayne – “Bright Eyes,” 1939 1.3 Articles – Dehoney, Wayne – “The Central Park Story,” 1955 1.4 Articles – Dehoney, Wayne – “The Christian and Divorce,” 1974 6 1.5 Articles – Dehoney, Wayne – “For the Able Moderator,” 1966 1.6 Articles – Dehoney, Wayne – “The Futility