MURFREESBORO – Dr. Benjamin Franklin Lowe, Jr., Academic Dean Emeritus of ChowanUniversity, died peacefully on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at VidantMedicalCenter in Greenville.

Dr. Lowe was the Academic Dean of Chowan College (now University) from 1968 to 2001, a period of enormous change for the institution, including its transition from a two year to a four year institution. He brought exceptional creativity and intellectual vitality to the task of guiding the institution, overseeing the development of a new general education program that introduced a new focus on writing throughout the curriculum.

In addition to his leadership role at Chowan, he served as a Professor of Religion from 1964 until his retirement in 2001. After his retirement, he continued to serve the University as an adjunct in the Department of Religion and Philosophy until 2013, bringing his total years of service to Chowan to forty-nine.

A faithful and devoted man of God and approachable and beloved dean and professor, Dr. Lowe dedicated his life to Christian higher education. He was known to generations of students, as well as faculty and staff, as a thoughtful, conscientious, and diligent teacher and administrator.  Because of these traits and his passionate advocacy for Chowan, he enriched and transformed the lives of thousands of individuals, leaving a powerful legacy of service to the University.

Born on November 6, 1935, Dr. Lowe, a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, earned undergraduate degrees from Furman University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D from EmoryUniversity.

An ordained minister, Lowe served numerous churches as a supply pastor and Murfreesboro Baptist Church as a longtime Sunday School Teacher and Deacon. Lowe also joined and became an active leader to the Rotary Club of Murfreesboro. His fellow Rotarians honored his influential leadership in the club by establishing the B. Franklin Lowe Rotarian of the Year Award.

He is survived by his wife of fifty-three years, Peggy W. Lowe; daughter, Lori Lynn Lowe; son, Gregg Franklin Lowe and wife, Nannette D. Lowe, of Greenville; sisters, Sylvia Lowe Todd of Ormond Beach, FL, and Joanne Lowe Edwards of Lawrenceville, GA; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin Franklin and Minnie Rice Lowe; three brothers, Eugene, Broadus, and Harold; and two sisters, Edna Lowe Giordano and Louise Lowe Baker.

Friends joined the family at the Lowe home then at Murfreesboro Baptist Church at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30. The funeral service followed at 2:00 p.m. with Dr. Lee Canipe officiating.

Memorial donations may be made to the B. Franklin Lowe, Jr. Endowment for Faculty Development, Office of Development, Chowan University, Jones Drive, Murfreesboro, NC27855, or to Murfreesboro Baptist Church.

Bridgers Funeral Home, Inc. in Conway was in charge of arrangements.  Online condolences can be shared with the family at www.bridgersfuneralhome.com.