Craig Bird, Baptist journalist and educator, died Dec. 12 due to complications from a fall the week before. He was 73.
Bird was born Oct. 4, 1949, in Arkansas to Clyde and C.W. Bird. He earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in English from Hardin-Simmons University, and he also studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He worked for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Lawton (Okla.) Constitution-Press before becoming features editor at Baptist Press in Nashville.
From 1985 to 1996, he and his wife Melissa served with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board in Africa. While he was based in Nairobi, Kenya, Bird traveled to 26 African nations to report on missions as part of the first wave of SBC foreign correspondents.
During his long career, he served on staff at Hardin-Simmons University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, South Texas Children’s Home, Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina and Baptist Child & Family Services.
He most recently served 17 years at Baptist University of the Américas, where he taught cross-cultural communications and theology. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Melissa; sons Brant and Coby; five grandchildren; and a brother, David Bird.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Baptist Standard.
