McMaster Divinity College was saddened to hear of the passing of one of its former Principals, Dr. William H. Brackney, on Sunday, November 13, 2022.
Brackney served as Principal of McMaster Divinity College for eleven years, from 1989 to 2000, when he left to become the chair of the Department of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Under his leadership, MDC experienced growth to over two hundred students, a renewal of its faculty, and the creation of advanced professional degree programs. He helped to establish four endowed chairs, and both the John Gladstone Festival of Preaching and the H.H. Bingham Colloquium. The campus saw numerous improvements during his time here, including the Robert Cochran Learning Centre.
He was the author or editor of many scholarly works and served on the boards of the Canadian Bible Society, Canadian Council of Churches, InterVarsity Canada, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (previously Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec), and more, in addition to being an ordained Baptist minister.
MDC extends our condolences to Dr. Brackney’s family and colleagues and thanks him for his service in the history and life of McMaster Divinity College.