The installation of Rev. Richard “Dick” Phillips as the fourth dean on April 10, 1981, during the chapel’s 50th anniversary year, signaled a new era for Hendricks Chapel. The dean became chief administrator, representing the whole chapel, rather than preaching at the Protestant Sunday service.
A native of Missouri, Phillips earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Northwest Missouri State University, intending to farm, until leading a youth group at a local church changed his direction. He studied at Iliff School of Theology and became a Methodist minister, then earned advanced degrees at Syracuse University, including a Ph.D. in 1965. He worked at Baker University and the American Youth Foundation before returning to Syracuse.
Phillips worked to expand the chapel’s role in the community, saying, “We have to be out in the community doing relevant things.” He was integral in establishing the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in the mid-1980s and helped plan the January 1989 service after the Pan Am 103 bombing, which killed 35 SU students. From 1995 to 1997, he took leave to direct the Syracuse Abroad center in Strasbourg, France.
Phillips was married to Ethel, whom he met while working summers on his uncle’s farm. They loved sports, travel, and attending games at the Carrier Dome. He played intramural basketball until retirement and had a passion for tennis. He wrote two books, one on the history of Hendricks Chapel. He died in July 2024 at age 90.