Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Jimmy G. Tharpe (2nd nomination)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   delete. &mdash;Darkwind (talk) 03:11, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Jimmy G. Tharpe
AfDs for this article: 
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Unnotable local pastor. This article was created for self-promotion. User:Billy Hathorn, now banned but still active with sock puppets, started this article, which is mainly sourced to a self-published book and an article written by Hathorn in a local history journal (also up for afd at Articles for deletion/North Louisiana History (North Louisiana History nomination)). In the original version, Hathorn includes references like "Statement of Jack D. Tharpe, Sibley, Louisiana, December 15, 2008" (note this "statement" was made the day Hathorn created the wikipedia article!) which is presumably unpublished as no publisher/reference to verify it is given. Did Hathorn get off the phone with Tharpe's son and create an article based on the conversation?

Hathorn then expands the reference count, by citing 30 times Jimmy G. Tharpe's Mr. Baptist autobiography, which was published by 21st Century Press. 21st Century Press is a vanity press. This book doesn't even exist on worldcat or with the Libary of Congress! This means no library in the world has the book and it was never copyrighted in the LOC.

There is no evidence that Tharpe was notable. Seems Hathorn's motivation for writing about Tharpe is his personal connection to the area. (See: "Billy Hathorn appears to create a new article for every single obituary or newspaper story he reads" at Requests for comment/Billy Hathorn.)

This was previously nominated for deletion four years ago at Articles for deletion/Jimmy G. Tharpe, but kept with three of the four keeps citing WP:PROF because Tharpe started higher education schools, like Baptist Christian University and Baptist Christian College (defunct and never had accreditation). According to Name It and Frame It?, (now online) both are degree mills. Being the founder of a degree mill does not make Tharpe meet WP:PROF. Further, the wiki article claims he started Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary (also dubbed a degree mill), which wiki redirects to Louisiana Baptist University (unaccredited and of dubious nature Articles for deletion/Louisiana Baptist University (2nd nomination)) but the connection(s), if any, isn't clear between the four/five similiar sounding "schools". There are no WP:RS for any link(s). Maybe similiar names and someone redirected it? Also Louisana Baptist University fails to mention Tharpe in its history or anywhere on the website.

Thus, the sourcing is weak as seen with Hathorn sourcing a "statement" made the day this wiki article was created, notablity is non-existent whether it be a loose tie to an unaccredited degree mill or a self-published book that no library (including the Library of Congress) has and the creator of this article is also the source for the single third-party piece about Tharpe (save a local obituary).SalHamton (talk) 09:04, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Automated comment: This AfD was not correctly transcluded to the log (step 3). I have transcluded it to Articles for deletion/Log/2013 March 28.  Snotbot   t &bull; c &raquo;  09:26, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Weak Keep As I said at the earlier AfD, presidents of colleges are notable. That the colleges may have been ones of very low standing is not relevant.  I was one of the people who started objecting early on to articles by this editor, who is skilled & enthusiastic about local history but needs to published it properly elsewhere than in WP.  Often, as here, he selects people technical notable (e.g. served 1 term in a state legislature)  and then writes a long article, most of it consisting of   unencyclopedic detail about their otherwise uneventful careers as a local farmer or businessman, and genealogical information about all their relatives and inlaws  Most of the content here belongs in the articles on the "universities" he founded. That one of them became notorious because people were using its degrees improperly as academic credentials is not reasonably part of his biography. &#39;DGG (at NYPL) (talk) 18:22, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * WP:PROF applies to "a highest-level elected or appointed academic post at a major academic institution or major academic society." None of the defunct unaccredited schools were "major" academic institutions or societies. Furthermore, it is unclear if Tharpe was elected, appointed or the self-anointed "head" based on the only two sources that mention Tharpe starting these "schools": Tharpe's self-published book and Hathorn. Also note the policy doesn't apply to school founders. This article is the definition of unnotable. SalHamton (talk) 18:32, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Louisiana-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 01:02, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Christianity-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 01:02, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Academics and educators-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 01:02, 29 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Delete. If he were the founder of a large number of prominent degree mills then he could be notable. But I am afraid there is not even that. Xxanthippe (talk) 01:49, 29 March 2013 (UTC).
 * Potential keep -- If it is true that he established 75 churches, surely he is notable. Louisiana Baptist University looks as if it is something more than a mere degree mill, even if not up to typical university degree standards.  This again points to notability.  Peterkingiron (talk) 15:43, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete – I have read the previous AfD and consider the keep opinions were flawed. Criterion 6 of WP:PROF refers to "a highest-level elected or appointed academic post at a major academic institution..." LBU is not accredited and I can find no evidence that qualifies it as major. In defence of notability, it was claimed that the LBU had produced alumni which met Wikipedia's notability requirements. Even if they do (which in some cases is questionable) "notability is not inherited". Tharpe's non-academic activities do not support notability, all local or specialist sources.  The founding of 75 churches needs to be recognised by a reliable source and verified before it can even be considered.  On checking Google, I came up with many listings and books composed of free articles from Wikipedia and the like but little else. Jpacobb (talk) 17:54, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
 * delete per nom. Pass a Method   talk  14:52, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.