Dr. Nicholas Barker, 72, a member of the faculty of CovenantCollege from 1966 until 2006, died on Christmas Eve 2009. He is now in the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

During his tenure at Covenant, Dr. Barker served as a professor of English, dean of the faculty, and vice president for academic affairs. His influence was significant, and he was deeply beloved by the Covenant community.

“Nick shaped the ethos of the College during his entire tenure, particularly during his 25-year term as vice president for academic affairs,” says Dr. Jeff Hall, Covenant’s current vice president for academic affairs. “His abiding faith, intellectual honesty, true humility, and dedication to a liberal arts education served the College well. He was loved and respected by the entire community, and his influence continues in many ways to this day.”

FormerCovenantCollege president Dr. Frank Brock served alongside Dr. Barker for many years. “Nick was brilliant and one of the best educated people I have ever known,” says Dr. Brock. “He was also very kind and patient. I was one of many that he mentored, and coming from a business background, I had so much to learn about higher education. Nick and I met weekly and always had more than a full agenda of issues to discuss, but it was not uncommon to spend more than half the time talking about the philosophy of a biblical education.

“No one shaped the Covenant of today more than Nick Barker, the College’s longest serving dean, and I daresay, one of the longest tenured deans in higher education, even though he constantly struggled with the administrative aspects of the job. He was most comfortable in the classroom, but he was always teaching regardless of the setting. I truly loved and admired Nick and will miss him.”

Barker is survived by his wife, Elaine; children, Edward Barker, Sarah Gold, Jennifer Hodges, and Nancy Hokrein; and nine grandchildren.

At Dr. Barker’s request, no public services are to be held.

The family has requested that memorial contributions may be made to the ChalmersCenter at CovenantCollege, 14049 Scenic Highway, Lookout Mountain, Georgia 30750, or Hospice of Chattanooga, P.O. Box 19269, Chattanooga, TN37416.