Robert Seymour, Civil Rights Activist and Chapel Hill Pastor, Dies at 95

Local pastor and longtime civil rights activist Rev. Robert Seymour has died at age 95.

Seymour became the first pastor at Chapel Hill’s Binkley Memorial Baptist Church in 1959. During the 1960s, he fought for racial integration of both his church and the wider community, a stance that earned him a dubious reputation among more conservative Southern Baptists.

His death was confirmed by Binkley Memorial Baptist Church’s office, which sent a message to its congregation Sunday afternoon.

Under Seymour’s guidance, the church established a focus on social justice and inclusion, welcoming members of all races and encouraging women to take an active role in church leadership. In 1963, Seymour helped organize the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service and served as its first president.

The pastor had a close personal relationship with former UNC men’s basketball head coach Dean Smith, who attended Binkley Memorial Baptist Church for many years. Following Smith’s passing in 2015, Seymour eulogized the coach at his public funeral.

“Bob was brilliant in communicating his intelligent thoughts from the pulpit,” once described Smith. “I was nurtured by the ministry of Bob Seymour for 30 years.”

In past conversations with 97.9 The Hill, Seymour shared how his goal was to shake the Southern Baptist stereotype when establishing Binkley in the Chapel Hill community. He described the church’s growth and various efforts to bring change and mindfulness to the area as one of the achievements he was most proud of.

“We have been innovative and had a significant outreach, not only in Chapel Hill, but also in places far beyond,” he told 97.9 The Hill’s Ron Stutts. “I’m especially proud of having had the privilege of being the first pastor of this ongoing congregation.”

Born in South Carolina in 1925, Seymour earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and a Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School. He was awarded a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 1955. He met his wife Pearl in 1956 while serving as a minister in Mars Hill, N.C.

Though he stepped down from the pulpit in 1988, Seymour remained an enthusiastic advocate for social change. He wrote four books, a regular column in the Chapel Hill News and founded the Chapel Hill Senior Center. When the new facility on Homestead Road opened in 2007, it was named in honor of Robert Seymour and his wife Pearl.

Seymour is survived by his two children, Frances and Rob, and grandchildren.

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