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Lee Roberson

Lee Edward Roberson (1909–2007) was an American preacher, pastor, and evangelist whose influential ministry spanned over six decades, most notably as the leader of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Born on November 24, 1909, near English, Indiana, in a two-room log cabin, he was the son of Charles E. Roberson, a farmer and laborer, and Dora Sego Roberson. In 1911, his family moved to a farm near Louisville, Kentucky, where he was raised. Converted at age 14 in 1923 through the influence of his Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Daisy Hawes, he joined Cedar Creek Baptist Church and soon felt called to preach. Roberson attended Louisville Male High School and Fern Creek High School, later earning degrees from the University of Louisville and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1937, he married Caroline Allen, with whom he had four children—LeeAnne, Joy (who died in infancy), John, and June—anchoring his ministry with family life. Roberson’s preaching career began in earnest with pastorates at churches in Germantown and Green Brier, Tennessee, before he entered full-time evangelism in 1935 with the Birmingham Baptist Association. In 1937, he became pastor of First Baptist Church in Fairfield, Alabama, and in 1942, he was called to Highland Park Baptist Church, where he served for over 40 years until 1983, growing it into one of America’s largest congregations with over 61,000 professions of faith during his tenure. He founded Tennessee Temple University and Temple Baptist Seminary in 1946, training thousands of Christian workers, and established Camp Joy in 1946 after his daughter Joy’s death, impacting countless youth. Known for his faith in the inspired King James Bible and slogans like “Have Faith in God,” Roberson died on April 29, 2007, in Chattanooga, leaving a legacy as a towering figure in 20th-century fundamentalism.