Rev. William E. (Bill) Lovell and Mrs. Beverly Lovell
Bill and Beverly Lovell are charter members of the Legacy Society, having been inducted in 2001 for establishing an endowed scholarship in memory of Bill's missionary parents, the late Rev. Marshall Lovell and Mrs. Eloise Groover Lovell.
Bill was born in Nashville, TN in 1939. When he was 18 months of age, his parents took him to Africa with them to begin their 20-year service as missionaries in the former Belgian Congo, today known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Bill speaks the Otetela language fluently and has served as a translator on many occasions when visiting dignitaries from the DRC itinerated in the Memphis and Tennessee Annual Conferences. Bill received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory and Henry College (Emory, VA) in 1961 and his Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Duke University Divinity School in 1964 and 1965, respectively.
Beverly (neé Bookhout) was born and reared in Durham, North Carolina. She is a graduate of Duke University and holds graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina and Middle Tennessee State University. Prior to her retirement in 1998, Beverly was a social worker and also taught in the public schools of Nashville.
18 year-old Bill with his parents at Wembo Nyama circa 1957
Bill and Beverly met when they were students at Duke and were married in 1961 after Beverly completed her undergraduate degree. They are the proud parents of two children and prouder grandparents of four grandchildren.
In his retirement, Bill has written two books: the Otetela Hymnal and the 100th Anniversary of The Methodist Church in Central Congo (1912-2013). The publication of these books was made possible by gifts from the Tennessee Annual Conference, Belmont United Methodist Church, retired missionaries from the Congo and their children, and other interested individuals.
Bill and Beverly entertain Congolese church leaders who come to Nashville each year for meetings of the general boards and agencies of The United Methodist Church.
Bill has served as a member of the Africa University Advisory Development Committee since 1992. He and Beverly believe that Africa University is the hope of Africa, and they want to see the university continue to grow and expand its influence globally. They are being recognized for having made a second substantial gift designated for the Africa University Marshall and Eloise Groover Lovell Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund in support of the current campaign.