Dr. Tim Maddox

Dr. Timothy D. F. Maddox, 56, of Abilene passed away on September 6, 2010. Tim was born in Riverside, CA, to E.D.H. Maddox and Naomi Ruth Maddox on September 14, 1953. Tim was a professor of philosophy at Hardin Simmons University for the last six years, moving with his family from Athens, Georgia, where he had been a professor at Truett-McConnell College. Before that, he had been university chaplain and taught philosophy at Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, West Virginia, and also had taught philosophy at Jefferson Community College and Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a much-loved resident philosopher of the Crosspoint Fellowship of Abilene.

Surviving Tim are his wife Alana and two sons, Seth and Luke Maddox; a brother, Peter Maddox, and his wife Sylvia; and two sisters, Merry Rogers and husband Chris, and Martha Maddox; three nephews—Jordan Maddox, Ben Maddox, and Chris Rogers II—and two nieces—Jennifer Malek and Becca William—and their families. He is preceded in death by his parents.

Tim took much pride in his father’s military career, which brought Tim to Abilene as an elementary student. After a life-changing experience of faith, he returned to Abilene again to attend Hardin-Simmons University as part of a continuing quest to “find out as much as he could about God,” graduating in 1977. It was a high point of his career to return to his alma mater in 2004 as a professor. Dr. Maddox received an M.Div. in 1982 from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. After he married Alana in 1982, they as lifelong partners in ministry did mission work in Hawaii for 5 years.

They then returned to Southern Seminary where he earned two more degrees, a Th.M. in 1992 and a Ph.D. in Christian Philosophy in 1997. As part of his doctoral program, he studied at Regent’s Park College at Oxford University, where he was planning to return for a sabbatical next summer.

Besides his teaching, Tim was fascinated with technology of all kinds (always coming up with some new wrinkle on the computer or at home). He loved VW buses, leaving two to be rehabbed in his driveway and once building a VW engine from a kit in his living room.

Tim cared deeply for his students, but he especially cherished his two sons. Just recently he made a trip to show his young son sights his father had shown him in the West when Tim was a child.

Memorial services for Dr. Maddox will be held at the First Baptist Church Sanctuary, Friday September 10, 2010 at 2:00 pm with Jerry Hendrix and Dr. Dan Stiver officiating. Services are under the direction of Piersall-Benton Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut St. Condolences may be placed on line for the family at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com. The family appreciates all of your expressions of remembrance. Donations may be made to the Truett Walton Scholarship for Philosophy, P.O. Box 16100, Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, TX, 79898, or Just People, Inc., 304 Grape St., Abilene, TX, 79601.