Don Paulk
Don is retired now and lives in Decatur with his wife, Clariece. He spends his time now doing the things he loves ... writing, reading, listening to music, enjoying the outdoors, tinkering with his antique car, playing with his animals and spending time with his family. He is now working on his second novel.
Born: June 2, 1938, Greenville , South Carolina
Education: Public school system, Greenville , S.C. , Charlotte , N.C. , Tampa Florida , graduated High school 1956
College: Lee University , Cleveland , TN , BA graduated 1960
Graduate work: ORU 1995
Married: December 16, 1960, Clariece Miller, concert pianist
Children: Daughter, LaDonna Diaz, born 1965; Son, Donald Earl, born 1972
Grandchildren: Jon Paul Diaz, Donald Naboth Antonio Diaz, Esther Clariece Paulk, Micah Donald Earl Paulk
Lives with wife, Clariece, in Decatur , GA.
Don was born the son of a preacher … a “PK” (Preacher’s Kid). His father’s position in his denomination called for much travel and before Don began to attend school he had been in every state in the union (before Hawaii and Alaska became states) and Mexico and Canada . He has lived in Greenville, South Carolina; Macon, Georgia; Cleveland, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona .
Upon graduation from college in 1960 Don joined his brother, Earl Paulk, Jr., in founding a church, Gospel Harvester Tabernacle in Atlanta , Georgia in 1960. This was during the turbulent years of the Civil Rights movement and GHT was the closest white church to Ebenezer Baptist Church , which was pastored by the father of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Together with his brother, Don became involved with the struggle for civil rights and joined with Dr. King, Sr. in a group called The Concerned Clergy. He recalls the breakfast times where they planned strategy for the marches and the movement. “Daddy” King, as he was affectionately known, would look across the table and ask in his booming voice, “Are you boys ready to go to jail with me?”
An Episcopal priest, Father Austin Ford, along with Don and Earl, were the only white men who were a part of that group. At one point, Don was sued for a million dollars by a supermarket chain for picketing against it. The market was selling inferior food to residents in the black community who had no way to travel to other markets, which sold fresher food at less expensive prices.
The church, now known as The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, grew to become one of the first “mega-churches” and at one time was considered to be one of the 10 largest churches in America . When the membership reached approximately 20,000 the members voted to build the cathedral, which seats about 7,000 parishioners.
For the past 48 years Don has served as pastor, teacher, counselor, chancellor of the Cathedral schools, choral director, singer, community leader, author, columnist and editor of newspapers.
During his ministry Don became a close friend of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. When Jim went to prison, their son Jamie Charles, known now as Jay, came to live with the Don Paulk family and attended Cathedral Academy . Jay Bakker and Don’s son, D.E, have become life-long friends. When Tammy Faye Bakker died, her memorial service was celebrated at the cathedral.
Don’s books include: I Laugh/I Cry: Confessions of a Pastor; Still Laughing, Still Crying: The Sequel; 101 Questions Your Pastor Hopes You Never Ask; and The Holy Spirit Is Real. He has also written two novels. One that is yet to be published is a departure from his normal writing style and is of a crime/suspense genre called, “Atonement.” And now his first published novel is available. It is called "A Night In Gaza."
Concerning his writings some of his beloved friends have said:
“Your article, Hurting To Heal, is by far the best thing I have ever read about my husband, Oral.”
-Evelyn Roberts
“I commend you for your NATURALNESS with God and the fact that you dare to let your humor show. You are extremely good for God’s reputation.”
-Eugenia Price
“Even though Don Paulk ranks himself as a number 1, by Kingdom standards he rates a number 10. The greatest complement I can give is that he is plain people.”
-Jamie Buckingham
And from the people who know him best…his family:
“My brother is one of the most skilled communicators I have ever known. He literally paints pictures with the words he writes.”
-Earl Paulk
“I have celebrated my dad’s laughter as a Spirit. Yet, as a son it has been his tears, not his laughter that has served me as mentor and as sage. Read as a believer and as a skeptic: as one who possesses crazy faith and as agnostic: as human and as Spirit. You might find that it is in the beautiful union of the two that we come to be.”
-D. E. Paulk
“There will never be adequate words to describe my dad or his writings. I thank him for introducing me to new words each day of my life and for teaching me to express in my journals the deepest emotions I possess. He is and always will be the best person I know.”
-LaDonna Paulk Diaz
