The Sikes-Melugin Lectures

The Sikes-Melugin Lectureship in Religious Studies was given in honor of Opie L. and John G. Sikes and Ruby D. and Roy Melugin Sr., by their children and grandchildren. The founders of this lectureship hope to continue the appearance on the McMurry campus of significant lecturers and speakers such as those who contributed to their own intellectual/spiritual development while at McMurry University.  Admission is free to the public.

The lectures usually span two days, in either the fall or spring semester of the current academic year.  This year’s speaker was Dr. Gene Tucker.  The schedule of lectures was as follows:

Monday, February 16 at 7:30 in the evening in the Furr Welcome Center: “God Saw that It was Good: The World in the Old Testament"

Tuesday, February 17 at 2:30 in the afternoon in the Mabee Room of the Garrison Campus Center: “Choose Life: Human Existence in the Old Testament”

In addition, morning chapel on Tuesday, February 17 at 11:00 in the Mabee Room was devoted to a celebration of the life and work of Roy Melugin.

Dr. Tucker’s distinguished academic career began here at McMurry, where he received his B.A. degree cum laude in 1957.  He earned further degrees at Yale University, culminating with his Ph.D. in 1963.  Since then, he has taught at a number of institutions, ranging from Duke Divinity School to the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, working to prepare young men and women for the ministry.  Dr. Tucker is a specialist in the study of the Old Testament and a former president of the Society of Biblical Literature.  In addition to teaching, he has authored, co-authored, or edited nineteen books, plus additional articles and book reviews on the subject. He is a major contributor to the New Interpreter’s Bible.  He is also an ordained Elder in the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.