Holly Craig and Gerald Parker have been partners for many years - marriage partners and partners in making the world a better place.
They met in 1972 when Jerry was in his final year at Garrett Theological Seminary and Holly was working on a graduate degree at Northwestern University. Holly's roommate, who was also a Garrett student, introduced them to each other. They married in 1974 and pursued their respective careers in Michigan.
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary is one of the 13 United Methodist seminaries supported by the Ministerial Education Fund apportionment of the United Methodist Church.
Jerry served seven different churches in the Ann Arbor District. He also served the larger church at both district and conference levels. In addition, Jerry was involved in numerous community activities, such as Jail Ministry, Planned Parenthood, and the Samaritan Counseling Center.
While Jerry served the church, Holly worked as a professor and researcher at the University of Michigan, starting as an assistant professor and moving through the academic ranks of associate to full professor and research professor. Currently she is professor emerita and research professor emerita in education at the University of Michigan and a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
She devoted her career to the study of language variation and its impact on educational achievement. She mentored many undergraduate students as they developed an understanding of dialects and the positive and negative influences of non-mainstream dialects on academic success.
Additionally, Holly served as director of the University Center for the Development of Language and Literacy at University of Michigan for 24 years. She won numerous major grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, and private foundations to fund her work. She has published extensively on the topic of Child African American English and the Black-White Achievement Gap.
New Adventure inspires Major Gift
When Holly and Jerry sold their home in Michigan as part of the process of down-sizing for retirement, they knew they wanted to use the proceeds from the sale to do something meaningful that would reflect their values. Both value education (Holly has her PhD, and Jerry has an MBA and a law degree in addition to his MDiv degree). Both also have fond memories of times shared on the Garrett-Evangelical and Northwestern campuses. This led them to consider making a $120,000 gift annuity to Garrett- Evangelical.
They became excited when they learned from David Heetland that Garrett- Evangelical was seeking to permanently endow the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at the seminary. Edsel Ammons founded CBE in 1970 when Jerry was a student at the seminary, and he was one of Jerry's favorite professors-and later his bishop in Michigan. A gift to CBE would also be consistent with Holly's commitment to improve understanding and to celebrate the African American culture and heritage in the United States.
A gift annuity will assist them in their retirement planning by providing a steady source of income each year for as long as they live. It will also enable Garrett- Evangelical to use the charitable remainder portion immediately to help fund CBE-a win for Holly and Jerry and for the seminary.
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary website, Evanston, IL
This story shows the power of the Ministerial Education Fund—one of seven apportionment funds of The United Methodist Church—to prepare and equip those answering God’s call to ministry. Your church’s support provides theological education, scholarships, and leadership development through our United Methodist seminaries and boards of ordained ministry. Together, we ensure that faithful, well-prepared leaders continue to guide the Church into the future.
When your church supports the Ministerial Education Fund, you invest in the next generation of United Methodist clergy and leaders.
