Beloved professor Harvey Floyd dies at 87

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — He was a man of humble stature and a quiet nature, but Harvey Floyd had a powerful impact on generations of Lipscomb University students. The renowned Bible professor died Aug. 7 at age 87. 

A native of Grenada, Miss., Floyd was legendary for his Greek, Holy Spirit and Romans classes among others. He earned a bachelor’s from Lipscomb, a master’s in Bible at Harding School of Theology and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University in classical Greek.

While a student at Lipscomb, he was named Bachelor of Ugliness and his future wife, Virginia Austin, was crowned Miss Lipscomb during the same year. They both graduated on June 1, 1953. They were married four days later.

From 1955 to 2010, Harvey Floyd taught at Lipscomb. He also taught Japanese students at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ for 40 years. 

He is the author of “Is the Holy Spirit for Me?”

“In a time when we generally lacked the language and the willingness to talk about the Spirit, Dr. Floyd’s book and classes on the Holy Spirit began to help us break through that narrow silence,” said Leonard Allen, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Bible and Ministry.

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