Birmingham businessman Wray Pearce and his wife, Joan, have made a major donation to Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School, funding a new scholarship that honors former Samford President Thomas Corts and longtime professor James Barnette ’83.
The Dr. Thomas Corts, Dr. James Barnette, J. Wray Pearce and Joan B. Pearce Family Impact Scholarship will be first awarded in fall 2027, with $100,000 contributions pledged annually for 10 years and the endowed scholarship then continuing in perpetuity. Samford is committing to match a portion of the annual distribution for the first 10 years of the scholarship. The scholarship will support full-time master’s students at Beeson.
Pearce is the co-founder of Pearce, Bevill, Leesburg, Moore, P.C., a Certified Public Accounting firm in Birmingham. He and Joan are longtime members of Brookwood Baptist Church. Pearce served in combat with the U.S. Marines before meeting Joan at the University of Alabama. The pair were married in Samford’s Reid Chapel in 1966.
Pearce and Joan taught children at Brookwood for 17 years and have served in other roles at the church.
“We have been blessed and believe it is important and required to share our blessings with others,” Pearce said.
The couple have served on Samford committees and helped endow a smaller scholarship at Samford in conjunction with Brookwood, giving back to students in need, just as they were when they were in school years ago.
Corts, who passed away in 2009, was the 17th president of Samford, serving from 1983-2006 and leading a period of growth in student enrollment, facilities and the university’s endowment. Together with founding dean, Timothy George, Corts helped open Beeson Divinity School in 1988.
Barnette returned to his alma mater in 1994 to serve as minister to the university, professor in the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies and director of Samford’s preministerial scholars program. Barnette later served as pastor of Brookwood Baptist Church from 2008 until his passing in 2021. Barnette was a beloved member of the Samford community, impacting thousands during his time on campus.
Pearce said he and Joan knew both the Corts and Barnettes from their time at Brookwood.
“Losing them early in life was so sad. We have consulted with Marla (Corts) and Deanna (Barnette) about this endowment, and they are both so excited about it,” Pearce said. “As we considered the loss of Drs. Corts and Barnette and the impact they had on so many lives, we prayerfully decided to honor them at Samford, where they had both worked and contributed for many years, and specifically at Beeson by helping educate future ministers, thereby creating Christian leaders for many, many lives and for many, many years to come.”
Douglas A. Sweeney, dean of Beeson Divinity School, said the scholarship is a great way to honor Corts and Barnette.
“What a marvelous way to honor the memory of two consummate Christian gentlemen,” Sweeney said. “This scholarship will eventually help dozens of ministry students, enabling them to benefit from all that Beeson has to offer. Our prayer is that God will use it to strengthen the pastorate and the churches that our graduates will serve, building up thousands of believers into maturity in Christ.”
Beeson development officer Elliott Dansby said Corts and Barnette deserve to be memorialized with this forever gift. "We are grateful for the Pearce family joining Beeson Divinity School in advancing the Gospel though training exceptional students for Christian ministry,” said Dansby. “It's particularly special for Dr. Corts and Dr. Barnette, two dynamic and faithful leaders who impacted so many lives.”
GIVE: Join the Pearce family to support this new scholarship at Beeson Divinity School.