“To stand with the child and anyone else who is weak, defenseless, in need of support, locked in prison, or cannot make it on their own is what it means to respond to God’s love.” - Chuck Merrill

According to Trish Merrill, anyone who knew her late husband Chuck knows that he cared most about peace and justice. In the months following the death of Reverend J. Charles “Chuck” Merrill ’59, Trish and long-time friend and fraternity brother Bruce Barrick ’71 conceived of a way both to honor Chuck's legacy and to further the social justice issues for which he cared deeply.

“The J. Charles Merrill Endowed Scholarship launched as a means to inspire the next generations to know about Chuck and to work passionately for good in the world,” says Trish. Every year a student at Southwestern University will be able to pursue studies and interests related to peace and justice for their final two years of study.

Chuck grew up in Austin and attended Southwestern University where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and Blue Key, graduating with a B.A. in 1959. After completing seminary at Southern Methodist University and eventually leading several congregations across Texas, he stayed involved in Southwestern and served on the Board of Trustees for many years. Three of his daughters went on to attend Southwestern. It was Chuck’s strong lifelong ties to SU and his persistent fight for social justice issues that inspired the idea for the endowed scholarship.

Social justice movements, educational intuitions and communities of faith

Chuck Merrill’s legacy belongs among the many peace and social justice movements of recent history. Examples abound of religious and educational institutions supporting various causes of peace and justice. Recent historical examples include the Abolitionist movement in the U.S., the civil rights movement, women's suffrage and women’s rights, antiwar and peace movements.

Among communities of faith, issues of peace and social justice have often found champions. The Roman Catholic Church, the United Methodist Church of Rev. Merrill, and other liturgical religions have long emphasized providing social services for “the least among us.” Methodism in the U.S. was connected with abolitionist movements and with the Underground Railroad. The civil rights movement via its relationship to the black church and to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands out as a contemporary example of a social justice movement gaining strength and sustenance from a community of faith.

Educational institutions have often served as stalwarts of peace and justice issues. Students, educational leaders, and faculty bring rigorous academic attention to social issues in the form of research and analysis and often political demonstration. Political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, philosophers and the academics among many other disciplines provide the intellectual cover for the street level activists and civic leaders to take action.

Educational institutions became themselves battlegrounds during the civil rights movement; public schools and universities became the sites of sit-ins, and the subject of legal battles that became landmark Supreme Court decisions in the case of Brown v. Board of education. The younger Chuck Merrill was himself an activist in this period of American history. As a seminary student in Dallas during the Civil Rights Movement, Chuck helped coordinate and lead sit-ins.

He maintained this early display of activism throughout his life. In both deed and word he chose to take on issues such as child abuse and neglect, poverty, war and bigotry against gays and lesbians.

A memorial of Chuck states: “Chuck’s special calling as a United Methodist minister was to challenge the comfortable by calling on the church to listen for and respond to God’s everyday demands of the faithful. It was his belief that in our country there can be no authentic articulation of the gospel without raising the issue of injustice.”

Chuck sought out and found ways to act locally. He led vigils protesting state executions at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin; he provided pastoral care to UT students during the Vietnam antiwar marches; he helped found the first Head Start School on the Texas Gulf Coast; he helped to found the organization Micah 6, serving the needs of the homeless and the impoverished area around the University of Texas; as the senior pastor of the University United Methodist Church in Austin, he spoke out “with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.”

Encouraging activism, contributing to the well-being of humanity

Chuck found great satisfaction in his lifetime involvement with Southwestern University. In the 1990s under the leadership of President Roy B. Shilling, the University engaged in a community wide uncovering of its core values and its core purpose. Among the declarations produced from that process of discussion, dialogue and debate were these two items:

Southwestern’s Core Purpose: Fostering a liberal arts community whose values and actions encourage contributions toward the well-being of humanity.

One of Southwestern’s Core Values: Encouraging activism in the pursuit of justice and the common good.

“Southwestern is working hard to cultivate a new generation of courageous and moral leaders. Chuck Merrill was such a leader and a great example for our future leaders to follow,” says Bruce Barrick, a fellow SU graduate and Kappa Sigma. “Like Chuck, we believe higher education has a critical role to play to equip those who will identify and fight the battles of peace and justice for generations to come.”

“It’s just a perfect fit,” says Rick McKelvey, vice president of institutional advancement at Southwestern, another early champion of the Merrill scholarship. “The Southwestern community takes great pride in its association with such remarkable alumni as Chuck Merrill. Honoring Chuck’s life and promoting issues of Peace and Justice fits squarely within our mission as a University.” Early donors have already contributed $30,000 toward the endowed scholarship in just the first several months. “The idea of this scholarship has clearly resonated with many who knew Chuck and with those who also care deeply about issues of Peace and Justice,” added McKelvey.

About the J. Charles Merrill Peace and Justice Endowed Scholarship

The family and friends of J. Charles “Chuck” Merrill ’59 invite contributions to a scholarship established in his name. The scholarship will be a permanent source of support and encouragement to young people and will be a lasting memorial to Chuck’s commitment to peace and justice. Scholarships will be awarded to students who meet Southwestern University’s requirement for financial aid and who have completed at least two years of full-time enrollment, are pre-ministerial students, and/or have demonstrated interest in activities or occupations which promote peace and justice locally, nationally, or globally. Gifts should be payable to “Southwestern University” and may be sent to: Merrill Scholarship, Southwestern University, P.O. Box 770, Georgetown, TX 78627. Gifts are tax-deductible.