Floyd Allen Craig of Franklin, Tenn., who influenced and encouraged an entire generation of Baptist communicators, died Aug. 30 in Nashville. He was 91. Born in Oklahoma City on Feb. 25, 1933 to Bonnie and Floyd M. Craig as the oldest son of a Baptist preacher, Craig was a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. OBU recognized him with its Outstanding Alumni Award in 1981. He served two churches as pastor during his student years in college and seminary, and he worked as assistant director of public relations at Southwestern Seminary following his graduation. As a marketing and public relations professional, Craig’s experience ranged from creating and implementing fundraising campaigns to the design, development and conducting of statewide communications programs for state, regional and national denominational and nonprofit organizations. Anyone who met Craig invariably was told at some point: “You are significant. God made you that way.” And because he said it, the person who received that word of encouragement believed it. Craig was director of communications for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma from 1962 to 1967. From 1967 to 1979, he was public relations and communications director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission. During James B. Hunt Jr.’s two terms as governor of North Carolina, he was deputy director of the Governor’s Office for Citizen Affairs and ombudsman. He was president of Craig Communications Inc., founded in 1981 with his wife Anne. Together with Anne and veteran journalist Dan Martin, he was instrumental in the founding of Associated Baptist Press, predecessor organization to Baptist News Global, in 1990. He wrote 10 books on communications, marketing and crisis management. He was preceded in death by his brother Gene Craig of Garland. He is survived by his wife of 68 and a half years Anne of Franklin; sister Doris Floyd and husband Roy of Oklahoma City; sister-in-law Linda Craig of Garland; son Paul and wife Dorothy of Nashville; daughter Suzanne and husband Alan of Nashville; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
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