William Newton Paschal was a successful business man in southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana for a number of years.  He was married to Nora (Jones) Paschal.  God blessed their marriage with two beautiful daughters, Dessarine and Kathleen.  Among his grandchildren are the late Dr. Harold McNeill, Jr., who had served as metal health chaplain at Rusk State Hospital and Professor of Christian Education at BMA Seminary for thirty-three years; Norita (McNeill) Higgs, whose husband Grady Higgs is Executive Director for the Department of Missions for the BMA of America, Little Rock, Arkansas; and Bill Fullenwider, deacon at First Baptist Church, Magnolia, Arkansas.

On November 14, 1945, at age 52, Brother Paschal surrendered to the Gospel Ministry.  He was licensed by First Baptist Church of Magnolia and pastured several churches in Columbia County, Arkansas.  After thirty years of faithful service, he went home to be with his Lord.

In 1984, Dessarine (Paschal) McNeill of Waldo, Arkansas and Kathleen (Paschal) Fullenwider of Magnolia, Arkansas, established an endowment to fund the Fall Bible Lectures in honor of their father.  Since then the lectures have been called the William Newton Paschal Memorial Bible Lectures.

List of Paschal Memorial Bible Lecturers

1968 John J. Kiwiet, B.A., B.D., Th.D., Professor of Historical Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth. Texas

1969 Glenn O. Hilburn, B.A., B.D., Th.D., Associate Professor of Religion, Baylor University, Waco, Texas

1970 Jesse Northcutt, A.B., Th.M., Th.D., Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Preaching, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

1971 Donald Keith Campbell, A.B., Th.M., Th.D., Academic Dean, Professor of Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas. Texas

1973 Harold Cooper, B.S., M.S.E., Ph.D., Dean, Central Baptist College, Conway, Arkansas

1974 Leland Callaway, B.B.A., M.B.A., Ed.D., Professor of Business and Head of Vocational and Business Education Dept., Southern State College, Magnolia, Arkansas

1975 S. T. Sullivan, B.D., Ph.D., Pastor of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Texas

1976 M. S. Arrington, M.Div., BMA Missionary Io Bolivia

1977 Carl B. Case, B.D., Th.D., Chaplain Supervisor, Rusk State Hospital

1978 Larry Silvey, B.S., M.Div., Ph.D. cand., Editor of Baptist Publications, Texarkana, Texas

1979 Robert G. Jones, A.B., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., Professor of Religion at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

1980 L. L. Collins, B.A., B.D., M.Div., Th. D., Director of Admissions and Registrar, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

1981 Michael Gott, B.A., M.Div., Evangelist, Jacksonville, Texas

1982 Kenneth F. McKinley, B.A., Th.M., Th. D., Professor of Bible, LeTourneau College, Longview, Texas

1983 Joel Slayton, B.A., M.Div., Th.D., Professor of Religion, Central Baptist College, Conway, Arkansas

1984 Harold M. McNeill, B.A., M.R.E., M.A., Th.M., D.Min., Mental Health Chaplain, Rusk State Hospital

1985 L. Russ Bush, III, B.A., M.Div., Ph. D., Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

1986 Roy O. Beaman, Th.M., Th.D., Professor of Greek and Theology, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee

1987 William B. Tolar, B.A., M.A., M.Div., Th.D., Dean, School of Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

1988 Tony M. Cleaver, B.A., B.D., M.Div., D.Min., Training Evaluation Officer of the United States Army Chaplain Center and School, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey

1989 Elmer Towns, B.A., M.A., Th.M., D.Min., Dean of Liberty Baptist Seminary, Lynchburg, Virginia

1990 Millard J. Erickson, B.A., B.D., Ph.M., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Dean of Bethel Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

1991 Donald A. Carson, B.S., M.Div., Ph.D., Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois

1992 David O. Dykes, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church, Tyler, Texas

1993 Ildeu Campos Gomes, Pastor of the Jardim Londres Church, Campinas, Brazil

1994 Douglas L. Laird, B.S., M.A., B.D., Th.D., President of Christian Stewardship Ministries, Inc., Dallas, Texas

1995 Stanley D. Toussaint, B.A., Th. M., Ph. D., retired Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas

1996 Kenneth S. Hemphill, B.A., M.Div., D. Min., Ph.D., President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

1997 Lewis A. Drummond, A.B., B.D., Th.M., Ph.D., Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama

1999 Dr. Ronald B. Allen, Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas

2000 Matthew McKellar, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Pastor of Sylvania Baptist Church, Tyler, Texas

2001 HalBrunson, B.A., M.Div., M.A., Ph.D., Pastor of First Baptist Church, Parker, Texas

2002 Matthew McKellar, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Pastor of Sylvania Baptist Church, Tyler, Texas

2003 Darrell Farney, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., U.S National Director, Central Region for Evangelism Explosion International 

2004 R. Alan Street, B.A., M.Div,. Ph.D., Chair/Professor of Evangelism and Pastoral Ministry at The Criswell College

2005 Philp R. Bryan, A.A., B.A., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., Professor of Bibical and Theological-History Studies and President Emeritus at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary

2007 Paige Patterson, B.A., Th.M., Ph.D., President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas