Jimmy Dukes, 他是一位富有远见和创新精神的人，在宝盈集团bbin和利维尔学院担任教职和管理人员四十多年, died December 4 at the age of 81.
杜克大学对利维尔学院的创立和建立起了不可或缺的作用, 开创性且非常成功的NOBTS监狱神学教育系统, 以及NOBTS推广中心系统，使没有教育资源的牧师也能接受神学教育.
“这是一个令人难以置信的悲伤时刻，因为我们记住了布朗博士的遗产和贡献. Jimmy Dukes,” said Jamie Dew, president.
“Dr. 杜克斯为这所学校奉献了40多年的生命和事工。. “He served with great integrity, humility, and servanthood devotion. 他深受校园里每一个人的爱戴，我们将深深怀念他. While we grieve our loss, 我们与他一同喜乐，因为他现在站在我们的主和救主面前, Jesus Christ.”
Elected to the faculty in 1985, Dukes taught New Testament and Greek, but kept the local church and the small church pastor always at heart. 杜克斯率先建立了新的教学系统，包括压缩的互动视频和互联网课程, 以及通过NOBTS扩展中心进行的课堂远程学习，将神学教育带给已经在现场服务的牧师.
杜克斯在任职期间担任过许多领导职务，包括担任利维尔学院(当时的基督教培训学院)院长。, dean of the extension center system, dean of the NOBTS North Georgia campus, and director of accreditation and assessment. 他于2012年退休，担任新约和希腊语高级教授，但继续教学并提供认证指导.
“Dr. 杜克斯是NOBTS和利维尔学院的一位有影响力的领导者，”教务长诺里斯·格拉布说. “During his many years at NOBTS, he served in several settings. In each role, he served faithfully and with excellence.”
Well known in the accrediting agency community, Dukes因其专业知识和帮助他人完成注重细节的认证过程的能力而受到尊敬. At NOBTS, 他的指导是建立利维尔学院和监狱神学教育体系不可或缺的一部分, as well as in leading NOBTS through numerous accrediting cycles.
At the national level, Dukes曾在神学院协会(ATS)的认证委员会任职。, one of the seminary’s accrediting agencies, and served at one time as chairman of the Commission on Accrediting.
Early in his tenure at NOBTS, Dukes served as pastor of New Orleans’ Elysian Fields Baptist Church, 教堂:当时位于神学院附近的教堂，有许多教师和宝盈APP登录参加. Throughout his ministry, 杜克以牧师或临时牧师的身份奉献给路易斯安那州各地的教会, Mississippi and Georgia.
“Dr. Dukes was without question a pioneer,” said Thomas Strong, vice president of spiritual formation and student life, who followed Dukes as the second dean of Leavell College.
“他一直关心的是，每个人都有机会为他们所呼召的事工接受培训——与他们的年龄无关, their location, or their past. 我和许多受到他的事工和友谊影响的男人和女人站在一起,” Strong said.
‘VISIONARY’
名誉校长查克·凯利(Chuck Kelley)称杜克是给神学院的“礼物”. In commending Dukes, Kelley noted the seminary’s location in a non-traditional, non-Southern Baptist setting and context.
“吉米·杜克斯是我所知道的最有远见的教育家，”凯利说. “我们的传教背景需要创新，上帝给了我们Jimmy Dukes. I think God matched him up with our school in some very special ways.”
凯利说，杜克斯的创新想法是出于他对宝盈APP登录的关心，并让他们能够接受神学教育.
“He didn’t think in terms of a teacher first, he thought first in terms of the students,” Kelley said. “He thought through the eyes and the circumstances of students.”
凯利回忆说，监狱长伯尔·凯恩(Burl Cain)在1995年左右找到神学院，想在“安哥拉”的围墙内建立一个教育项目,” the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. 凯利说，当时这个想法“闻所未闻”，但杜克斯找到了一种方法.
“吉米·杜克斯(Jimmy Dukes)是想出如何在戒备森严的监狱里进行神学院训练的推动者,” Kelley said. “I don’t think that could have happened with anybody else but Jimmy.”
Steve Lemke, provost emeritus, 指出了杜克斯是如何在互联网刚刚兴起、教育传播仅限于教室座位的时候倡导在线学习的.
“在(认证)界，他被视为神学教育领域的创新者,” Lemke said. “He saw these things before anybody else saw them.”
As a board member also of the Commission on Accrediting at ATS, 莱姆克说，他去其他机构进行认证访问或参加董事会会议时，很少有人问起杜克斯，并对他表示喜爱. 杜克斯是仅有的两位担任ATS认证委员会主席的美南浸信会教徒之一, Lemke added.
Lemke underscored that Dukes’ passion always was focused on providing good leadership for churches, particularly in underserved places.
“Why did he care so much about Leavell College? 因为他知道很多在教会服事的人甚至没有本科神学学位,” Lemke said. “Why did he care about extension centers? 因为它可以为已经在牧师岗位上的人提供培训. Why did he care about the prison systems? Because he was serving another underserved or unserved population.”
A FRIEND TO ALL
随着杜克斯去世的消息传开，社交媒体上充斥着杜克斯的友谊和善良的故事. Some spoke of his encouragement academically, others as their pastor, 或者作为一个关心他人的朋友，不厌其难地帮邻居的院子割草. Many praised Dukes and his wife Retia, who preceded him in death, for their kindness and graciousness.
“他总是有能力看到宝盈APP登录的需求，并设想神学院如何满足他们的需求,” Grubbs said. “For me, he was a mentor and friend.”
Lemke noted that beyond the seminary family and the SBC, 杜克斯是众所周知的，神学院的认证机构的成员“非常喜欢他，非常感激他”.”
斯特朗对杜克斯的友谊表示感谢，并指出了他的生活所产生的影响.
“吉米给了我第一次兼职教书的机会，然后邀请我加入他的团队. He mentored me both as a faculty member and as an administrator.” Strong said. “我和许多受到他的事工和友谊影响的男人和女人一样."
