"William Hamrick" Archive

Retired professor and chair of religion Willard Hamrick dies

william.hamrick.300x175by Kerry King (’85) Wake Forest Magazine

Willard Hamrick, a retired professor and chair of religion well-known for his archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East, died on Jan. 8, 2015, in Chapel Hill, N.C. He was 91.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley (MAEd ’74), a retired associate director of admissions at Wake Forest, and one son, Allen (’83). A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 12 at Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill.

Hamrick joined the faculty in 1952 and retired as Albritton Professor of Religion in 1988. An Old Testament scholar, he undertook more than a dozen archaeological excavations at biblical sites in Jordan and Israel, often with students. He was especially adept at identifying ancient coins unearthed at excavation sites.

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