约翰·鲍威尔·克莱顿

Department of Religion Chair, Boston University, BS 1964

约翰·鲍威尔·克莱顿 was born in 1943 in Sherman, Texas, and grew up in Bailey. 当他九岁的时候, his family moved to Tulia where his father relocated his cotton ginning business. John graduated from Tulia High School in 1961 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in religion from Hardin-Simmons in 1964. He went on to Baylor University where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1967. He attended Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, earning a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1968. In 1975, John earned a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

As a student at Hardin-Simmons, John was a member of Tau Alpha Phi social club and was a member and vice president of Pi Gamma Mu National Honorary Social Science Fraternity.

In 1965, John married his high school sweetheart, June Harris. Their daughter, Emma, was born in 1981.

In 1972, not believing it was really possible to attain the job, he applied for and received a position at the University of Lancaster in Lancaster, 英格兰. The Religious Studies Department of Lancaster was quite new when John joined as their first lecturer in religious and atheistic thought. Over the years, he worked his way up the academic ranks until he became professor. 不久之后, he became the first American ever to be asked by Cambridge University to deliver the prestigious Stanton Lectures in Philosophy of Religion. 晚些时候, he became head of the department, which earned important national rankings under his four-year leadership. Lancaster emerged as one of the leading schools for religious studies in the United Kingdom.

In 1997, John accepted a similar position at Boston University, 作为宗教教授, chair of the department of religion, and director of the division of religious and theological studies, where he remained until his death in 2003.

John traveled extensively, lecturing widely throughout Europe and the United States. In particular, he established a professional presence in Germany. 从1980年到1997年, he served as visiting professor at the University of Bayreuth, Germany; Rice University; the University of Houston; and was the Hulsean Preacher to the University of Cambridge.

In 1998 John was named an honorary professor of religious studies by the University of Stirling, 苏格兰, and in 1999 was named an honorary professor of religious studies by the University of Lancaster, 英格兰. In 2002, Cornell University named him an honorary visiting scholar in Near Eastern studies, 还有那一年, he was named a research scholar by the Institute of Religion and World Affairs at Boston University and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. John received the HSU Distinguished 校友 award in 1995.

书是约翰的最爱. In 2003, 患癌症, John arranged to have his vast religion and philosophy library gifted, 在他死后, to HSU as an acknowledgment of his affection for and gratitude to Hardin-Simmons. The John Clayton Collection in Philosophy and Religious Studies located in the Richardson Library includes 2,867 volumes of books and a number of unbound publications and scholarly papers from John’s estate.

John’s desire was to provide an opportunity for other young students to begin a quest for knowledge as he had done when he came to Hardin-Simmons where his mind was challenged with questions he spent a lifetime answering. 他的奉献精神, 的决心, and perseverance in his pursuit of knowledge led this nationally and internationally distinguished scholar to the highest ranks of academia.

While he achieved the highest standards of learning, John continued to have the thirst for knowledge that was awakened in him during his undergraduate career. Though he was a highly celebrated scholar, John never forgot his roots and his HSU friends. He cherished his memories of Hardin-Simmons大学, and left it his greatest treasurer—his library.

John has been described as a humorous and unique man who was industrious, 好奇的, 问一些探索性的问题. He is remembered as a student who made the other students think. He continued throughout his life challenging students to think. And by leaving the legacy of his library to HSU, he continues still to ask us all to use our minds.

It is the high honor of Hardin-Simmons大学 to recognize one of her own and to formally induct 约翰·鲍威尔·克莱顿 into the HSU 领袖堂. We would like to thank the family of Dr. 克莱顿出席.