Morris M. Womack Research Materials on J.P. Sanders

Joel Pliant (J.P.) Sanders was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1906. He received a bachelor of science from Texas Christian University in 1927, a bachelor of divinity from Vanderbilt University in 1931, and a PhD from the University of Southern California.

Upon completion of his doctoral program, Sanders took a part-time teaching position at David Lipscomb College. During this time, he also served as a minister for various churches in the area including the Hillsboro Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Sherman, Texas.

In 1938, Sanders and M. Norvel Young started the publication 20th Century Christian. Sanders served as founding editor of the publication. Today, the publication is called 21st Century Christian.

In 1939, Sanders accepted the position of chairman of the religion department at Pepperdine College. While at Pepperdine, Sanders met and married Gloria Millay in 1941. In 1942, the couple moved to Nashville, where Sanders assumed the role of academic dean at David Lipscomb College. In 1957, Sanders' longtime friend, M. Norvel Young, became the president of Pepperdine College and asked Sanders to return to Pepperdine to serve as dean, which Sanders accepted.

In 1970, Sanders left Pepperdine for the chance to serve as executive vice president of Columbia Christian College (now Cascade College) in Portland, Oregon. After four years, he moved to the role of president of the college. In 1982, Sanders left his position to return to Pepperdine to serve as a professor in the religion division. Sanders also resumed his role as a minister preaching at Conejo Valley Church of Christ in Thousand Oaks, California.

At the age of 81, Sanders retired from his duties and settled in Nevada. On October 30, 2002, Sanders passed away at the age of 96 in Reno, Nevada.

Morris M. Womack was born on December 12, 1927, in Daylight, Tennessee, to Oscar and Ida Lee Womack. Womack attended Butler University where he received a bachelor of arts in 1954 and a bachelor of divinity in 1958. He earned a PhD from Wayne State in 1967.

Womack began preaching for the Church of Christ at the age of 17 and continued for over 50 years. He preached in a variety of places including the following states: California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Womack worked at Pepperdine University from 1967-1999, first as an administrator, and then as a Professor in the Communication Division. He published more than a dozen books and also worked as a visiting professor for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. While involved with the department, he served as a member of the Master Planning Committee for LEEP (Law Enforcement Education Program), a Pepperdine graduate program which assisted policemen and district attorney personnel.

Up until the time of Morris' death, he was very active in the Simi Valley Church of Christ where he preached for a number of years. On September 17, 2011, Womack passed away in Ventura County at the age of 83.