LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) - Roy Honeycutt, who served as president of Southern Seminary from 1982-93, died Dec. 21 from head injuries sustained the previous day in an accident at his home in Louisville. He was 78.

Honeycutt, Southern Seminary's eighth president, guided the seminary through the initial years of the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention and gained recognition as a significant voice in denominational conflict.

Among Honeycutt's major accomplishments at Southern were the construction of the main section of the Honeycutt Campus Center and a significant expansion of the faculty.

Born Oct. 30, 1926, in Grenada, Miss., Honeycutt was a two-time graduate of Southern Seminary, receiving his Ph.D. in 1958 and his master of divinity in 1952. He served as academic dean at Midwestern Seminary from 1971-75 and chairman of Midwestern's Old Testament department from 1963-75 prior to joining the Southern Seminary faculty as a professor of Old Testament.

Honeycutt served as dean of the school of theology at Southern from 1975-80 and provost at the Louisville, Ky., campus from 1976-82. After retiring as president, he was Southern's chancellor from 1994-97.

Current seminary president Al Mohler, who served as an assistant to Honeycutt from 1983-89, praised Honeycutt for a strong commitment to his church, his family and Southern Seminary.

In addition to his wife, June, Honeycutt is survived by two children, Roy Lee and Mary Anne.

During Honeycutt's tenure, Southern Seminary grew in student enrollment. Known on the campus as a friend to students, Honeycutt was responsible for leading the seminary to build a state-of-the-art student center and athletic facility in 1990. The "Roy and June Honeycutt Campus Center" was named by seminary trustees in the couple's honor.