Stokes, Mack B.

Mack B. Stokes, retired Bishop of the United Methodist Church, was born to missionary parents in Wonsan, Korea on December 21, 1911. He attended elementary and high school in Korea, then earned an A.B. (1932) and B.D. (1935) from Duke University. He attended Boston University and Harvard for graduate school and received a Ph.D. from Boston University in 1940. He married Ada Rose Yow on June 19, 1942. They are the parents of two sons and one daughter. Stokes was admitted to the North Carolina Conference on trial in 1933. He was ordained deacon in 1938, and became an elder in 1940. In 1951 he transferred to the Holston Conference. Stokes joined the faculty of the Candler School of Theology in 1941 as Assistant Professor of Christian Doctrine. He remained at Candler until 1972, when he was elected bishop. While at Candler he held numerous positions, including Associate Professor of Christian Doctrine (1944-1947), Professor of Christian Doctrine (1947-1953), Parker Professor of Systematic Theology (1955-1972), Chairman of the Division of Religion of the Graduate School of Emory University (1956-1972), and Acting Dean of the Candler School of Theology (1968-1969). Upon being elected to the episcopacy in July 1972, Stokes was assigned to the Jackson, Mississippi area. He served two four-year terms in Jackson before retiring in July 1980.