Charles Lloyd Whaley was a white missionary to Japan that was born in 1922 and died on November 10, 2014, in Palmetto, Georgia. Charles was a native of Atlanta, Georgia and attended Fulton High School. He received an undergraduate degree from Mississippi College (1944), and both a Bachelor of Divinity degree (1947) and a Doctor of Ministry degree (1977) from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Charles married his wife Lois Linnenkohl in 1949 and together they had two children: Ronald (1954) and Rebecca (1956). Ronald died at four years old and Rebecca died in 2014.

The Whaley family were among the first missionaries in Japan following World War II. Charles was appointed a Missionary to Japan in March 1949. He pastored churches in Tokyo and Fukuoka, was a faculty member at the Tokyo Baptist Theological Seminary, and was a member of the Japan Baptist Convention. Charles also taught church history at Seinan Gakuin University and was later elected as Chancellor of the university. Seinan Gakuin University has ties to over 25 colleges and universities worldwide, including Mercer University. During his lifetime, Charles published several books in both English and Japanese, including The Winds of Dawn and Outlines in Christian History. A full list of his positions and accomplishments can be found in Folder 1a of the collection.

Following Charles’ retirement, he established a relationship with Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta. He taught Sunday school at his stateside church home, First Baptist Church Decatur, and led chapel services near his home until his death.