Dr. J. Davison Philips did not like to talk about his accomplishments. In fact, he didn’t even count any accomplishments as his own, he would attribute the deeds and successes to others.
“He would never refer to his wonderful life in ministry in the first person,” said his son and namesake James “Jim” Philips, of Highlands, N.C.
As the president emeritus of Columbia Theological Seminary and having spent 21 years as the senior pastor of Decatur Presbyterian, Dr. Philips was an integral part of a lot of positive ministry work. While at Decatur Presbyterian, the church built a mission hospital in South Korea, built Philips Tower in Decatur -- which is named for him -- and a retreat center near Lake Lanier.
“In all of these things he accomplished, he would always credit others,” his son said. “He had really important mentors he would credit.
Dr. Philips’ mentors included Dr. J. McDowell Richards, a former president at Columbia seminary; Presbyterian minister and graduate professor in Scotland, the Rev. James S. Stewart; and Dr. James Ross McCain, a former president of Agnes Scott College.
“He credited them, for example, with his intellectual awakening,” Mr. Philips said of his father, adding those men helped Dr. Philips be aware of what needed to be done.
James Davison Philips, called Davison my most, of Decatur, died Sunday at Highland Farms Retirement Center in Black Mountain, N.C., from complications brought on by Parkinson’s disease. He was 91.
A memorial service has been planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Decatur Presbyterian Church, following a private burial. A. S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Philips was born in Peason, La., a place “only my mother and the good Lord know how to get there,” he often said. He grew up in and near Tallahassee, Fla., and chose to go to Hampton Sydney College in Virginia, where he earned his first undergraduate degree, a bachelor of arts. He then sought a bachelor’s degree in divinity from Columbia in Decatur. Dr. Philips served in the Navy as a chaplain during World War II and then went to the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he started his doctoral work, which he completed in 1955 while living in Decatur.
In addition to serving as the president at Columbia from 1976 until 1986, Dr. Philips served as a trustee at Agnes Scott for 30 years, and was a former moderator of the Atlanta Presbytery and the Synod of Georgia. He also chaired the University Center in Georgia during his tenure at Columbia.
H.G. Pattillo remembers Dr. Philips as not only a good pastor, but a dear friend.
“Davison was a person who continued to learn and he was respected by a range of individuals,” Mr. Pattillo said. “I cannot tell you what a blessing Davison Philips was to my life.”
Dr. Philips is also survived by his wife of 69 years, Katherine Wright Philips; daughter, June Peel of Augusta; another son, Graham Philips of Gainesville, Fla.; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
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