Yale Divinity School

Donald Bishop ’50 M.Div. retired from Washington State Univ. after 31 years teaching philosophy of religion and comparative religions.  His most recent book, Wars Begin in the Minds of Men, came out in Dec. 2006.  He has been married for 56 years, has 3 children and winters in the Phoenix area, gardening, writing letters to newspapers (criticizing the Iraq war), attending church activities and supporting Alternative to Violence groups and Habitat for Humanity.

Alex Harper ’50 B.D., ’60 M.A. was married to Jean Gall on October 21, 2006 at the United Congregational Church in West Norwalk.  Harper is a retired minister of the United Church of Christ, former pastor in Connecticut and Illinois, Navy chaplain and a member of the national staff for the Council of Christian Social Actions of the UCC.  He is a classical musician, playing modern and baroque strings in symphony and chamber music groups.  Gall is originally from Rochester, NY and holds a master’s degree from Geneseo State Teachers College and a sixth year degree from University of Bridgeport.  She is a retired elementary and middle school teacher who taught in Long Island, San Diego, Hawaii and Japan.  She is a prize winning portrait photographer.  The couple resides in Norwalk.

Marge Reid ’50 B.D.  is carrying on after the sudden death of her husband Bill on March 27, 2007.  She keeps very busy with supply preaching and serving on several community and church boards.  This year, the family added two great-grandchildren (the count is now up to six, with the oldest starting kindergarten in September!).

A few months ago George L. Tolman ’50 B.D. finished a 16 month interim ministry with the Community Christian Church of Marana, an agricultural area now becoming a suburb of Tucson.  The congregation was primarily blue collar, with several retirement folds, and a great deal of ethnic diversity.  Tolman notes that their music program was composed of two guitars, a mandolin, and a Steinway grand piano.  Since retiring from Tuscon First Christian Church in 1987, Tolman has served in ten interim ministries, in four western states.  He has made new friends and enjoyed the freedom of status, cleaning up past conflicts, making a few changes and being pretty free from church politics and committee meetings.  Eight months in Kalispell, Montana, was the greatest, joining “The over-the-hill-gang” to top many of the rocky peaks of Glacier National Park. His wife is the organist in a large Methodist church in Tucson, and he sings in a church choir (they are desperate), runs mobile meals, and supports a thriving Habitat for Humanity.  They hike and fly fish and work with the Democrats to bring about badly needed changes.