Carolyn Maull McKinstry was 14 years old in September of 1963 when a bomb exploded at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, killing four of her friends.  She was steps away from the bomb.  Carolyn says, “The explosion sounded like rumbling thunder.  I remember thinking there must be a storm outside.  As soon as I thought that, the windows started shattering.” 

 

In recent years, Carolyn joined forces with friends in Birmingham to restore and refurbish the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, so that the transforming of message of Christ will continue to be made known—and future generations will remember that hate will not triumph. 

 

This past August, Carolyn completed the requirements for her degree from the Beeson Divinity School.  The world is better because of Carolyn McKinstry.      

 

 

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.