Earl I. West

Dr. Earl Irvin West Former university professor, church minister and author of 9 books, passed away Friday, February 4. He was 90. Though born in poverty, Earl worked his way through college, eventually earning a PhD in American History at Indiana University. He devoted his life to being a Church of Christ minister, first with the Irvington congregation in Indianapolis (10 years) and then with the Franklin Road Church of Christ, also in Indianapolis (30 years). At the same time he commuted once a week to Memphis to teach classes at the Harding University Graduate School of Religion. During this time he lost Lois, his wife of 38 years, to cancer. By then he had moved to Memphis, where, 5 years later, he married Dorothy "Dottie" Carrel, his loving wife for 25 years. In addition to Dottie, he is survived by two sons, Robert and Timothy, 5 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Funeral services will be held 3:00 Sunday, Feb. 6 at the Flanner and Buchanan Washington Park East Funeral Center. Visitation will precede the service. The family is asking that donations be given for Alzheimer research ( www.alz.org) andor to the Harding University Graduate School of Religion Library.