Dr. Philips R. "Doc" McCarty, 88, passed away on December 10, at Brookdale Senior Living in Clinton, MS. The son of Rebecca and Eugene E. McCarty, he was a native of Crosby, MS. He graduated from the University of Mississippi where he earned his B.A. in political science. He went on to work for TV Guide in New Orleans where he also attended and graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and a Doctor of Education degree.

Dr. McCarty had three loves in life – family, teaching and Ole Miss. He met his beautiful wife of 65 years, Hazel Wynne McCain at Ole Miss, where he charmed her and asked her to marry him on the bench just outside the ZTA house on sorority row (a story he always loved to tell). He was known for consistently bragging about his family, and beamed anytime he could share his pride in his three children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.

As a professor of religious education at Mississippi College for over 24 years, "Doc" McCarty touched the lives of thousands of students with his pop quizzes, tough questions, and entertaining teaching style. He had a way of bringing the Bible to life that was thought-provoking and nontraditional. He was also known through the years as a favorite pastor and interim pastor for numerous churches in Mississippi and beyond.

When football season rolled around, you would find Dr. McCarty attending Ole Miss games in person or watching them on TV. Hotty Toddy was a regular part of his vocabulary. He was a true fan of not only Ole Miss football, but of Oxford and the University as a whole. He often said he wanted his ashes scattered in the Grove when he died (something that is surely illegal, but that will certainly be fulfilled one way or another by his children).

We could list a million other things that tell you about this man – awards, military service, community support, honors and more. But the best way to remember him is through his heart of gold, his constant love and affection for his wife and family, and his stories and entertaining that made him the life of the party wherever he would be. We're certain he is not letting God get a word in edgewise right now.

"Doc" is survived by his wife, Hazel, his daughters Angel Stodard (Mike) and Kate Hilliard, and son Philips McCarty, Jr. (Lori); grandchildren Christopher Stodard (Megan), Megan Rennie (James), Chase Hilliard (Morgan), and Keegan and Dylan McCarty; great-grandchildren Wynne and Charlie Hilliard and Hudson and Wells Rennie; and a great crew of cousins on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A private celebration of his life will be held by the family at a later date.

Memorials may be made to the Clinton Community Christian Corporation.