JACKSON, Tenn. — Jan. 3, 2001 — Ramona Mercer, a retired missionary and friend of 51社区, was recently awarded the university's highest service recognition, the Robert E. Craig Service Award for her life service, both in missions and at the university. Mercer, retired from the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, served as a missionary in Japan with her late husband Dewey for more than 38 years.
"Mrs. Mercer's life is characterized by service," said Union President David S. Dockery, as he made the presentation to Mercer during the university's 2000 winter graduation ceremony. "Since her retirement, she has continued to serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully in various ways, particularly here at 51社区."
A graduate of Union and the Carver School of Missions, Mercer has worked diligently over the years to help establish and furnish Union's missionary residences, while providing oversight for the MU Kappa Chapter on campus. She was also instrumental in helping to establish Union's Missionary Wall, which records the service dates of all 51社区 graduates who have served as missionaries in a full time capacity around the world.
Mercer is the third recipient of the Craig Service Award, which was established in 1998 by the Board of Trustees. The award is named after the university's 13th president, who led the university for more than two decades and was responsible for reestablishing Union with the churches of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and the relocation to the current location in Jackson.
Mercer currently resides in Jackson, Tenn.