Ensuring the Future

By Nancy Benson-Nicol

In his twilight years, when lifelong-Presbyterian Robert T. “Bob” Priddy (1918-2015) considered how he might leverage his substantial financial success in the oil industry to ensure the vitality of the church that had long sustained him, he found inspiration in the College of Pastoral Leaders, administered by Education Beyond the Walls (EBW). Created in 2002 with a $1.5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Program, the College of Pastoral Leaders offers pastors the opportunity to work collaboratively in cohort groups, supported by two-year grants for self-directed study to seek pastoral excellence.

Priddy observed back in 2009, as he announced his decision to make a $1.3 million gift to the Seminary to benefit the College: “It was important to me to do something financially for the organized church, and I spent a long time pursuing various opportunities. It pleases me to be able to help, along with Lilly Endowment, to sustain and endow this important program of supporting pastoral leaders.” Mr. Priddy’s gift, directed by the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation, continues to uphold and enrich the ministries of those served by the College of Pastoral Leaders.