Dr. Harry Newcombe Hollis Jr. (age 82) died Sunday September 13, 2020 in Nashville, TN at The Lodge at Natchez Trace. Dr. Hollis was a man of sincere Christian faith who spent a lifetime helping other people. He was a beloved and loyal father, grandfather, husband, brother, pastor, professor, mentor and friend.
Dr. Hollis was born on July 19, 1938 in Memphis, TN. He attended high school in New Orleans, LA before graduating magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN (B.A. 1960) and Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY (M.Div 1964; PH.D 1968). His education also included post-doctoral study at Vanderbilt University and research as a visiting scholar at the University of Louisville.
Dr. Hollis was a gifted speaker, writer and communicator. He served as pastor of Finchville Baptist Church in Finchville, KY for 9 years, before moving to Nashville, TN, where he worked 17 years for denominational ethics agency Christian Life Commission. He moved on to write about wildlife ethics for the TWRA, and served as an HR Manager at HCA in Nashville, before launching a successful business ethics consulting practice of his own.
In 1992, Dr. Hollis embarked on a rewarding career as a management professor at Belmont University in Nashville, where he taught and mentored thousands of undergraduate and graduate students in the Jack C. Massey College of Business. His business ethics classes proved to be entertaining and essential, as the corporate world raced into the 21st century. His trademark bowties made him recognizable, his gift of teaching and connecting made him memorable, and his genuine concern for his students made him beloved.
Dr. Hollis was co-founder and inaugural director of the Center for Business Ethics at Belmont University (now the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics) in 1994. He was appointed as Belmont’s first James M. Medlin Chair of Business Ethics in 2006. Upon retirement in 2010, Dr. Hollis was awarded standing as Professor Emeritus of Management at Belmont University, and maintained that distinction until his death.
Dr. Hollis embraced leadership throughout his life. He served as president of the National Honor Society in high school. He became a licensed minister by age 18. He was a National Finalist in the White House Fellows program. He served as President of the Tennessee Baptist Student Union. He was elected Student Government President at Southern Seminary. He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the committee that designed and ran the White House Conference on Families. He served as president of the Tennessee Guild for Ethical Health Decisions. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for HCA’s Centennial Medical Center.
Dr. Hollis was an avid outdoorsman, a skilled fisherman, and an expert storyteller with a keen sense of humor. Together, these talents often produced unforgettable theater. He also loved dogs, and loved watching bluebirds. He was an excellent athlete, a track letterman in high school and college, and continued half-marathons into his 70s. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf. And he was a true fan of watching all sports, especially when they involved his children and grandchildren.
Dr. Hollis was an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. He was humble, he radiated genuine kindness, and was always willing to help other people. He made the world a better place because he was in it.
Dr. Hollis is survived by his wife, Peggy Self Hollis (Nashville, TN); son H. Newcombe Hollis IV (Laura) and grandchildren Gentry Anne and Calvin (Franklin, TN); sister Dixie Butler (Columbus, MS); and a circle of extended family, step-family and close friends. Dr. Hollis was a member of First Baptist Church in Nashville.
Dr. Hollis was preceded in death by his parents, Harry Newcombe Hollis Sr. (Jackson, TN 1979) and Evelyn Dixie Hollis (Columbus, MS 2001); son Harry Newcombe Hollis III (Louisville, KY 1965) and daughter Mary Melissa Hollis (Nashville, TN 2014).
We will honor Dr. Hollis with a formal celebration of his life at a later date. Harry Hollis will never be forgotten, and will always be greatly missed, until all of us who loved him are reunited with him in Heaven.
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