McLean v. Arkansas Documentation Project
The Participants
Titles & affiliations are as given at time of trial. Please note that this list may be incomplete at this time, and will be updated as new information is collected. Linked names lead to biographical information from various places on the web.
Presiding Judge
William R. Overton (United States District Court, Arkansas)
Plaintiffs
Rev. William McLean, et al. (Minister of the Presbyterian Church)
Defendants
The State of Arkansas, et al.
Plaintiff's attorneys (not exhaustive)
Robert M. Cearly Jr. (Cearly, Gitchel, Mitchell, & Bryant), lead attorney for the plaintiffs
Jack D. Novik (ACLU)
Bruce Ennis Jr.
Philip E. Kaplan (Kaplan, Brewer, and Bilheimer - Little Rock, AR)
Peggy L. Kerr
Gary Crawford
Mark E. Herlichy
Anthony Siano
Stephen G. Wolfe (Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom - New York, NY)
Plaintiffs witnesses, in order of appearance
Rev. Kenneth W. Hicks (Methodist Bishop, Little Rock, AR).
Fr. Francis Bruce Vawter (Prof. of Religious Studies, De Paul University, Chicago).
Dr. George Marsden (Prof. of History, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI).
Prof. Dorothy Nelkin (Prof. of Sociology, Cornell University, NY).
Dr. Langdon Gilkey (Prof. of Theology, School of Divinity, University of Chicago).
Dr. Michael Ruse (Prof. of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Ontario), more info here.
Dr. Francisco Ayala (Prof. of Biology, University of California Davis), more info here, and here.
Sen. James L. Holstead (Arkansas State Senator, sponsor of Act 590, called by plaintiffs as a hostile witness).
Dr. G. Brent Dalrymple (U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA), more info here, and here.
Dr. Harold Morowitz (Prof. of Biophysics, Yale University), more info here, and here.
Dr. Stephen Jay Gould (Prof. of Geology, Harvard University), more info here, here, and here.
Dennis R. Glasgow (Supervisor of Science in Little Rock schools).
Ronald W. Coward (biology/psychology teacher, Pulaski Co. Special School District).
James C. Wood (physics/chemistry teacher, John L. McClellan High School, Pulaski Co. Special School District).
Ed Bullington (American history teacher, Pulaski Co. Special School District.
Marianne Wilson (science coordinator for Pulaski Co. School District).
Dr. William Vernon Mayer (Director, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study).
States (defendants) attorneys (not exhaustive)
Arkansas State Attorney General Steve Clark
Deputy Attorney General David L. Williams
Assistant Attorney General Frederick K. Campbell
Assistant Attorney General Dallas Childs
States (defendants) witnesses, in order of appearance
Dr. Norman Geisler (Prof. of Systematic Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary. Geisler's web site.).
Dr. Larry R. Parker
Dr. W. Scott Morrow (Prof. of Biochemistry, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC).
Jim Townley (chemistry teacher, Southside High School, Fort Smith, AR).
Dr. Wayne A. Friar (Prof. of Biology, The King's College).
Dr. Margaret Helder (Vice-President, Creation Research Society, botanist).
Dr. Ariel Roth (Prof. of Biology, Geoscience Research Institute), more biographical info here.
Dr. Harold Coffin (Prof. of Geology, Geoscience Research Institute).
Dr. Chandra Wickramasinghe (mathematician/astronomer, Prof. and Head of Department of Applied Mathematics, University College, Cardiff, Wales).
Robert V. Gentry (former guest scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. Gentry's web site).
Deponents (those who were deposed but for whatever reason did not testify in the trial)
Charles Bolton (?)
Rev. Earl B. Carter (Plaintiff, minister of the United Methodist Church, Little Rock, AR).
Frances
C. Roelfs (Plaintiff, biology
teacher, Springdale High
Michael K. Wilson (Plaintiff, attorney and Arkansas State Representative).
Garth Russell Akridge (Ph.D.?).
Rev. W. A. Blount (Pastor of the Sylvan Hills Community Church, Little Rock, AR.).
Edward Anthony Boudreaux (?).
Paul Ellwanger (Founder of Citizens for Fairness in Education and author of the draft bill which became Act 590).
Larry M. Fisher (Mathematics teacher, North Little Rock, AR.).
Dr. Duane T. Gish (Vice-President, Institute for Creation Research, biochemist).
Robert E. Hays (?).
Dr. Hilton Fay Hinderliter
Dr. George F. Howe (Former President of the Creation Research Society).
Carl Hunt (Arkansas businessman, friend of Gov. White).
Dr. Dean Kenyon (Currently a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture).
John Lankford (?).
Vern August McMahon (?).
David Ralph McQueen (Currently Assistant Professor of Geology at the ICR Graduate School.), McQueen comments briefly on being deposed at the end of this Impact article.
Dr. John N. Moore (scroll down).
Mary Ann Miller (Family Life America under God, FLAG).
Sherman B. Peterson (?).
Dr. Don R. Roberts (Former Director of the Arkansas Department of Education).
Dr. Carl Sagan (Cornell University, astronomer), more info here, here & here.
Dr. Terrance L. Smith (CRS).
Rev. Curtis Thomas (Sovereign Baptist Church).
Cecil Gerald Van Dyke (Currently Professor of Mycology, Department of Botany, North Carolina State University), follow this link to a brief feedback Dr. Van Dyke sent to the Talk.Origins Archive in 1997 (scroll down).
Dr. Larry Vardimann, more here (scroll down).
Other notable figures involved
Arkansas Governor Frank White (signed Act 590 into law).
Wendell R. Bird (Creationist attorney, then with the Institute for Creation Research, who advised the defense team and later went on to argue for the defense in Edwards v. Aguillard before the Supreme Court of the United States. Bird's law firm site).
If you have any corrections and/or new, relevant & verifiable, information on any of the participants listed (or not listed) please contact Troy Britain.