Perry Harvey Biddle, Jr. ’54

Perry Harvey Biddle, Jr. ’54, 78, of Nashville, Tenn., died Feb. 10. His parents were Daisy Yandell and Perry Harvey Biddle. He was born in Meridian, Miss., and grew up in rural Alabama and North and South Carolina. Biddle was an Eagle Scout. He was educated at Davidson, Union Theological Seminary (Va.), and Vanderbilt Divinity School. He also did graduate study at New College of the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). He was student assistant at First Presbyterian Church (Staunton,Va.), and Aberdour and Dalghety churches in Scotland. He was the minister of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (Memphis, Tenn.), Westminster Presbyterian Church (Mobile, Ala.), First Presbyterian Church (Starkville, Miss.), and First Presbyterian Church (Old Hickory, Tenn.). Early in his ministry and throughout his life, Biddle was a strong advocate for civil rights. He wrote at least a dozen books and many articles, including resources for clergy and devotional literature. He was an avid traveler and reader. He was a member of Leadership Nashville, Freolac Club, Palaver, and Nashville Assoc. of Rabbis, Priests, and Ministers. A special joy for Biddle was nominating Holmes Rolston III ’53 for the Templeton Prize, and later accompanying Rolston to London to receive the prize presented by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. Biddle is survived by wife, Sue Sherman Biddle, 916 Evans Rd., Nashville, TN 37204-4034; daughter, Lindsay Louise Biddle ’83 (John Mann); son, Perry Biddle III ’85 (Mary Davis Biddle); grandsons, Perry “Petey” Biddle IV and Sawyer James Biddle; step-granddaughter, Jane Mann Steiner (John); step-grandsons, Nicolas Mann (Kim) and Elliott Mann (Katie); great-grandson, Ian Tariku Steiner; sister, Stella Biddle Fitzgerald (George Fitzgerald); niece and nephew, Ann Fitzgerald Aichinger (Frank) and George Biddle Fitzgerald (Amy); sister-in-law, Louise Sherman; and nephew, Stephen Pressley Sherman (Becki Wright).