Rev. Dr. J. Phillips Noble
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Dr. J. Phillips Noble
The Rev. Dr. James Phillips Noble, 100, died Saturday, March 12, 2022 at home in Decatur, Georgia. He was born on August 18, 1921, at Learned, Mississippi, the son of William Alexander Noble and Ida Pecquet Phillips Noble.
During his long and distinguished career in the Presbyterian (U.S.A.), Noble served the McDonough and Timberridge Presbyterian Churches in Georgia (1945-1947), the Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC (1947-1956), the First Presbyterian Church in Anniston, Alabama (1956-1971), and First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston, SC (1972-1982), where he was honored as Pastor Emeritus.
He completed his career as Executive Secretary of the Board of Annuities and Relief of the Presbyterian Church, U.S., and as Co-President of the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. (1982-1989).
He offered key leadership on many committees and commissions at the Presbytery and Synod level. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Columbia Theological Seminary for 26 years and was the board's chair for five years. After retirement in 1989, he served as Pastor to Pastors in the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta (1992-1996).
He attended public schools in Learned, Mississippi, graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree from King College in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1943, and completed a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, in 1945.
While in Anniston, Alabama, he was appointed by the mayor to chair a Biracial Human Relations Council that guided the city through a volatile time in the Civil Rights Movement. Under Noble's leadership, the council integrated the city library and other public places. Noble courageously carried out this effort while defying death threats from those opposed to integration. He was number 1 on the Ku Klux Klan hit list. Anniston honored Noble for his leadership in 1971 and again by giving him the key to the city in 2016.
His book, Beyond the Burning Bus, 2003, New South Books, details the story of this period in Anniston's history. Noble's other published books include Getting Beyond Tragedy, 2005, New South Books, written in response to the death from leukemia of his son Scott, Words and Images that Seep into the Soul, 2013, Wipf and Stock Publishers, a collection of Noble's poems and favorite quotations from others, and his most recent book, Words That Stretch the Mind and Lift the Spirit, 2018, New South Books. He also wrote several unpublished works, the most significant being his memoir, Led by a Gentle Providence, 2004. At the time of his 100th birthday, New South Books published a pamphlet entitled, "Reflections on My Journey: Turning 100," to honor him and his life dedicated to human kindness, compassion and social justice. The reflection was written in response to the question about how he ended up on the right side of history, growing up on a sharecropper farm in Mississippi. He writes that even at a very young age he had a sense something was wrong with a system that did not provide education and other opportunities for the children of sharecroppers he grew up playing with on the farm.
He is predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Betty Pope Scott Noble, and a son, Milton Scott Noble. He is survived by a daughter, Dr. Betty Scott Noble of Decatur, Georgia, and a son, J. Phillips Noble Jr. (Nancy Madden), two grandchildren, James Phillips Noble, III, and Lizzie Madden Noble, all of Charleston, SC, and an informally adopted daughter, Jean Cleveland of Greenville, SC. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Decatur Presbyterian Church, 205 Sycamore St., Decatur, GA, on Monday, April 11 at 3:00pm, preceded by a private graveside service for family and close friends at 2:00pm in Decatur Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Dr. James Phillips Noble Scholarship Fund at Columbia Theological Seminary, the Milton Scott Noble Scholarship Fund at Columbia Theological Seminary, the Youth and/or Mission Program at Decatur Presbyterian Church or the Betty Pope Scott Noble College Heritage Center at Agnes Scott College.
A full biographical obituary of Dr. Noble can be found on the website of the Decatur Presbyterian Church, http://www.dpchurch.org/remembering-dr-james-phillips-noble/, the website of A. S. Turner and Sons www.asturner.com, as well as the website for the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) https://www.pensions.org/.