Ed Dobson, a prominent pastor and former Liberty University staff member, died on Saturday, Dec. 26, after a more than 15-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Dobson served at Liberty for 15 years and is one of Liberty’s most popular founding deans, according to President Jerry Falwell. He came in as dean of students in 1972 and served until 1987, in various roles, including editor of the Fundamentalist Journal and vice president for student life. Dobson also worked as an aide to Liberty Founder Dr. Jerry Falwell and led the Moral Majority. Before being diagnosed with the terminal disease, Dobson served as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for 18 years. He spoke at Liberty’s Convocation several times, most recently in 2010.
“I had the privilege of communicating with Ed earlier this year,” President Jerry Falwell Jr. said. “He used a special device to compose a message to all of our graduates that I shared with over 32,000 attendees at Liberty’s 2015 Commencement ceremony. Ed provided pastoral and academic leadership to thousands of Liberty students decades ago, making his parting wisdom to the Class of 2015 so meaningful and appreciated.
“Ed Dobson brought a lot of life to our campus. He was one of the pioneers, one of the leaders who helped make Liberty what it is today.”
Falwell, along with his wife, Becki, took the Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the ALS Association in 2014 in honor of Dobson and others in the Liberty family who have battled the disease, challenging students to support the association as well.
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