Yale Divinity School

Notes from 2008

Richard F. Collman ’69 M.Div. officially retired from Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist church in May of 2007 after 40 years of a dual career in music ministry and preaching (about 20 years in each). He and Katherine retired in Northfield, MN in June of 2006 (home of St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges). He remains active in community education, church music, recitals, promotion of the pipe organ, and congregational hymn singing. He recently opened up a floating teaching academy for all ages for the pipe organ. Katherine and Richard are the parents of Dr. David Collman of Modesto, CA and daughter Joy of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.

Michael Eldridge ’69 B.D. officially retired this year from teaching at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he was a member of the Department of Philosophy. But he will continue to teach part-time and remain in his office for the academic year 2008-09. He was motivated to change his status in order to have more time for intellectual projects such as a comprehensive reference book on contemporary pragmatism for which he has submitted a proposal at the publisher's invitation. He is married to Sue (since 1964) who has really retired from UNC Charlotte, where she served as the office manager of Student Accounts. Both daughters live in Charlotte, one of which is the volunteer-resources coordinator for Thompson Child and Family Focus and the other is a Spanish teacher in a public high school (and the mother of a daughter--the precious granddaughter!).  He is secretary of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy and is a precinct chair for the county Democratic Party. He is also active in the North Carolina chapter of the Fulbright Association.

After fifteen years as the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Middletown, Virginia, Susan Garrett ’69 M.A.R. was appointed the Harrisonburg District Superintendent, supervising 72 churches in the Shenandoah Valley. Seven years later, she became the Virginia Conference Director of Connectional Ministries, supervising the conference staff and program, until she retired June 2008. Dan and Susan live in Berryville, VA. Retirement, so far, is really amazingly wonderful. They’re traveling, enjoying their three grandsons, and family celebrations.

Memorable endeavors for Tom Haupert ’69 M.Div. include writing a hardcover history of a hand-bell group known nationally in hand-bell circles for excellence and innovation. A last chapter explores how rigorous training in ringing and other musical skills brings large-scale changes to neural connections in the brain, and develops the personality. He continues to listen to New Testament passages in Greek, Latin, and German. These languages slow him down, and let Tom notice the text.

Ann and Denis Hughes ’69 M.Div celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on August 22, and they’re both still working: she's a health care administrator and he’s pastor of Northminster Presbyterian and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Seattle. Dennis chairs the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, PCUSA, and have worked for many years with former GA Stated Clerk Cliff Kirkpatrick ’68 B.D.. Daughter Rebecca and son Peter were born at Yale/New Haven Hospital while he was at YDS; son David was born at Notre Dame during his PhD work. They’re delighted they all live in Seattle. Peter worked briefly in Detroit and they visited Roger Pohl '69 B.D. and Joanne, lifelong YDS friends.

Bill Imes ’69 B.D. retired to Easthampton, MA July 2008. He served two parishes in Iowa from 1969 to 1985 followed by 16 years at First Parish in Brunswick, ME. The past seven years he has been President of Bangor Theological Seminary. Judy and Bill are enjoying having more time for their three daughters and seven grandchildren.

Alan Johnson ’69 B.D. works at “Imagine!”, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, and a local Great Harvest Bread Company. His article, “Shattered into Wholeness: A Way to a Deeper Spirituality” will be published October 08 in The Lutheran Magazine, and his book Encounters at the Counter: What Congregations can learn about Hospitality from Business will be published May 2009 with Pilgrim Press. Alan loves sprint triathlons in Colorado, and skate skiing, running, in-line, and cycling races. He lists his email address as revalan2004@comcast.net.

After retiring from 21 years in navy chaplaincy, Glenn Miller ’69 B.D. spent 10 years as senior pastor of The Village Chapel in Pinehurst, NC.  Recently retired, he and his wife moved to Bluffton, SC to be closer to their family. He presently teaches two world religion courses for USCB, and in November will take on the position as national chaplain for the Military Officers Association of America for a six-year term.

Larry Reimer ’69 B.D. co-pastors the United Church of Gainesville, FL, a wonderfully inclusive and progressive church of 650, with his wife Sandy. The church was founded in 1965 by a few people who placed an ad in the University of Florida student newspaper asking for anyone interested in forming a liberal Protestant church in the South (fifty folks showed up). When Larry arrived in 1974, there were 75 members and he thought he’d stay about five years. Thirty-four years later, everyone can say it’s been a great journey. Sandy and Larry have a collection of sermons, The Long Winding Journey Home, scheduled for publication by Outskirts Press this fall.

A. Craig Settlage ’69 S.T.M. is an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Craig was a parish pastor for 18 years before joining the church-wide staff of the ELCA at its formation in 1988 where he served as staff within the Division for Ministry. His present position is ELCA director for mission support within the Office of the Presiding Bishop. He and Rachel live in Palos Hills, IL.

Henry M. Smith ’69 B.D. retired in 2005 after 17 years as a Lecturer in French at University of New Hampshire.  He travels to France every year to see old friends; walk Paris and take pictures of life in la Ville des lumières; enjoying the sights, sounds, food, le vin du pays, open-air markets of France, etc.  Henry is currently serving on the Durham (NH) Town Council (2006-09) and has recently purchased 1710 house and invites all to come and visit!

Charles Watkins ’69 M.Div., ’70 S.T.M. and his wife Jane Combs Watkins ’68 M.A.R. celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary with visits to classmates and friends from YDS. They are serving their third congregation where he is senior in a staff of five ministers who have been on the same team for ten years at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Decatur, IL. Their son Ben and his wife Anne-Karine live in Bloomington, IN.

Notes from 2007

Kathy Turner ’69 M.Div. tried to retire from her life vocation as a CPE Supervisor, but she failed and is back at work half-time at Good Sam Hospital south of Seattle and in off-and-on telecommuting and actually flying back and forth to Boise to help out a supervisory candidate there.  As ever, she finds herself taking on students from everywhere except "mainline" Protestantism. She has reconnected to various ACPE committees, which keeps her glued to her email and means occasional cross-country jaunts and nice hotels when she gets there.  Her latest thought is that 70 would be a good time to try retirement again.  In the meantime, she has the Social Security Administration thoroughly confused. She and her husband Greg Turner ’70 M.Div. list their email address as RevsTurner@aol.com.