Betty Montgomery
Master Gardner, Garden Columnist and AuthorKirk H. Neely and his wife, Clare, have been married since 1966. They are parents of five children and have thirteen grandchildren. Since 1980, Kirk and Clare have lived in the home built by his grandparents in 1937. Additionally, Kirk is a Master Gardener and enjoys working in his own garden. The National Wildlife Federation has certified the Neelys' backyard as a wildlife refuge.Kirk was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina (1966). He was licensed in ministry by First Baptist Church, Taylors, South Carolina, in 1966. He was ordained in Pastoral Ministry by Crescent Hill Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in 1970. He received the Master of Divinity Degree (1970) and the Doctor of Ministry Degree in Pastoral Counseling (1973) from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He was named a Merrill Fellow at The Divinity School of Harvard University (1980), where he did postdoctoral study.