The Reverend Dr. Talmage Boyd Skinner, Jr. was born April 2, 1934, in Anderson, South Carolina, to Talmage Boyd Skinner and Pauline Smith Skinner. He is a graduate of Boys High School in Anderson, South Carolina, and a 1956 graduate of Wofford College. He completed his Masters of Divinity in 1960 and a Masters of Christian Education in 1967 from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He earned his Doctor of Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary in 1995.
Reverend Skinner served as a minister in the United Methodist Church in both South Carolina and Tennessee. He served as chaplain and taught religion at Spartanburg Methodist College for 10 years and was the Perkins-Prothro Chaplain and Professor of Religion at Wofford College from 1986 until his retirement in 2003. He continued teaching religion classes at Wofford for six years after retirement.
He was recognized with numerous awards including the A.V. Huff, Sr. Faculty Prize and the Outstanding Service Award from Spartanburg Methodist College. At Wofford, the Association of African American Students presented him with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award and the Wofford Letterman’s Club recognized him as an Honorary Wofford Letterman. He and his wife Beverly received the 2005 Wofford College National Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. Scholarships created in his honor include: The Class of 1990 Endowed Talmage Skinner Scholarship Fund and the Talmage Boyd Skinner ‘56 and Beverly Keadle Skinner Endowed Scholarship.
Music has always been an important part of his life. He sang in the Wofford Glee Club and Candler Choraliers as a student and continued to perform and sing in churches and other settings for many years.
He and his wife Beverly were married in 1958. The Skinners spent countless hours with students and actively participated in events at Wofford and Spartanburg Methodist College. In 2011, they left South Carolina to move to Raleigh to be near their daughter and her family.
In addition to his wife, Reverend Skinner is survived by his daughter, Valerie Skinner Hendricks, his son-in-law , Arthur (Artie) Hendricks, a granddaughter, Smith Appleby Hendricks, and a grandson Talmage Kirkwood (TK) Hendricks, all of Raleigh, North Carolina.
There will be a service on Wednesday, June 6, at 3:00 PM at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. Guests may greet the family following the service. A committal service will take place Friday, June 15 at 11:00am at St. John’s United Methodist Church Columbarium in Anderson, South Carolina. A memorial service will be held at Wofford College Leonard Auditorium on June 16 at 11:00am.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Talmage Boyd Skinner ‘56 and Beverly Keadle Skinner Endowed Scholarship Fund or The Class of 1990 Talmage Skinner Endowed Scholarship Fund at Wofford College, 429 N. Church Street, Spartanburg, SC 29303. Memorials may also be made to Spartanburg Methodist College, 1000 Powell Mill Road, Spartanburg, SC 29301.
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