Yale Divinity School

Notes from 2008

After eighteen years of pastoral ministry, Dan Bonner ’76 M.Div., ’77 S.T.M. spends most of his time coaching leaders of urban churches who are seeking new ways to express faithful witness in their changing contexts through The Center for Urban Congregational Renewal. In 1995 Tex Sample, Emanuel Cleaver, and Dan formed the CUCR as the 501 ©(3) vehicle “to do contextual research within urban congregations in Kansas City” Dan now serves as President and Lead Strategist, “primarily because Tex retired to Arizona to write and lecture, and Emmanuel left town to serve in Congress.“ Happily back in his native Texas, Dan reconnected with YDS classmates Steve Wende ’76 M.Div.  and Ray Kiser ’76 M.Div. They now serve on the CUCR’s board of directors, proving that the Day Mission Room Gang of ’76 are still up to collaborative mischief.” In 2002, Dan was named Adjunct Professor of Urban Evangelism at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, KS, where he continues to teach online courses in urban evangelism. In 2003, he became Easum, Bandy, and Associates’ preferred consultant for urban congregational turnaround coaching. His most recent article, Dry Bones Dance Anew: Transforming a Dying Urban Congregation, is scheduled for publication in the Fall, 2008 American Baptist journal, The Christian Citizen. Dan also serves as Vice President for Development of Wesleyan Homes, building community-based affordable housing for senior adults in Central Texas. The parents of four adult children, Dan, his wife, Sue, and their cats, Oscar and Felix, live on peaceful banks of Berry Creek in the Texas Hill Country.

 Jeanne Devine ’76 M.Div. continues to serve as pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in San Antonio, TX and enjoys seeing her two grandchildren near Austin as often as possible!

Scott Fruchter ’76 M.Div. is in San Bernadino, working for the State of California.

Glenn C. Petersen ’76 M.Div., after nearly 17 years serving Peace Lutheran, Colfax, in the wheat and lentil fields of eastern Washington, as of September 2007 is serving as Senior Pastor of Central Lutheran, Anchorage, AK. Carol Rowberg, Glenn's wife for 35 years, is still living in Colfax (trying to sell the house) and working at Washington State University. They have three children: Hans studying at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, CA; Thea in her second year of family practice residency in Billings, MT; and Carl working for a Lutheran church in Santa Monica and in the acting biz of Hollywood.

Notes from 2007

Lucia Ballantine ’76 M.Div.  has been rector of St. James Church, North Salem, N.Y, a wonderful, eclectic, recalcitrant and faithful parish like most, since 2001, when in the midst of a divorce she fell upon this position. She reports that she is challenged and content in her ministry searching for the flitting movements of the Spirit and new movements of the Holy, being, as always a little bit on the edge theologically (not that God cares) ; she continues a life of prayer, yoga, healing and adventure.

Jeanne Devine ’72 B.A., ’76 M.Div. has lived in San Antonio, Texas since 2004 where she is pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church. She active with the Yale Club of South Texas and with the Alumni Schools Committee, interviewing applicants to Yale College. Her daughters and 2 year old granddaughter live nearby. Classmates, David W. Johnson ’72 B.A., ’76 M.Div., Ray Kiser ’76 M.Div., and Steve Wende ’76 M.Div. are all in that part of Texas.

Norma Cook Everist ’76 M.Div. has been professor of Church and Ministry at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa for the last 28 years. Author of 14 books, her latest are Church Conflict: >From Contention to Collaboration (Abingdon) and, co-authored with Craig Nessan, Transforming Leadership (Fortress). Her current research interests focus on the intersection of American civil religion, church and state, and ministry in daily life, and she continues her work in feminist theology. exploring systems of injustice, with a concentration on power and partnership. She is a Lutheran pastor and a continuing member of the Lutheran Deaconess Community. Married to Burton Everist, they enjoy their three grown sons and their families.

Daniel R. Heischman ’76 S.T.M. has been appointed as Executive Director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools Governing Board.  The Governing Board’s unanimous decision to select Dan followed the enthusiastic and unanimous recommendations of the Search Committee, which cited a near perfect match of the criteria established  by the Search Committee and Governing Board with Dan’s experience, skills and leadership style.  Dan most recently served as the College Chaplain at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn.  He has served as a chaplain and administrator at two Episcopal schools, headed the Council for Religion in Independent Schools (CRIS, now CSEE) as Executive Director and served on the NAES Governing Board. He is also a noted speaker, author and workshop leader.

Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger '76 M.Div. is delighted to have a sabbatical this fall so that she will be able to come to her 31st year YDS reunion.  She, however, won't be able to arrive until Tuesday evening because on Tuesday morning, October 9, she will be installed as a FULL PROFESSOR of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Naturally, she is thrilled.  Her second book, Pray Without Ceasing: Revitalizing Pastoral Care, came out last August.  And her second granddaughter, Sophie, was born the previous April. (Hannah, Sophie's big sister, is now 3).  She and her husband George will celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary this August.  George teaches systematic theology at Princeton Seminary and has recently founded the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.  Deborah appreciates the glimmers of hope she has been able to see despite present political circumstances through her involvement and work in nonviolent communication (www.cnvc.org) during the past few years.

Ken Landall '76 M.Div. retired last June as the senior pastor of The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury (UCC) in Duxbury, Massachusetts, after a wonderful pastorate there of 17 years.  Thus far he claims that retirement has been great!  He and his wife, Claudia, have spent much time traveling to Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, down the Florida, and this October they plan to go out to visit their son in Santa Cruz, CA.  They were also in a local theater production of "Fiddler on the Roof," dabbling in an area that neither had never explored before.  Though their roles were small, they were part of an incredibly talented cast, and the show was a smash success in every respect.  They report that they will surely do musical theater again.  Ken has gotten involved in a local UCC church in Harwich on Cape Cod, is singing in the choir, and doing occasional pulpit supply.  One of the wonderful gifts his previous church gave to me on retiring was an SLR digital camera, so he has been rediscovering his long-neglected hobby of photography, which I had neglected many years ago. He and Claudia are very happy in their new life situation, are enjoying the abundance of time that they have together, and are sending their warmest greetings to their classmates.

John D. Paarlberg ’76 M.Div. is the senior minister of the First Church in Albany, an historic church in downtown Albany, New York.  One of his sermons was included in a recently published collection, Earth and Word: Classic Sermons on Saving the Planet (Continuum.)   He serves as chair of the Board of Directors of Oikocredit, USA, a worldwide cooperative society that challenges people and churches to make some of their investment resources available for empowering disadvantaged people with credit.  In the summer of 2005 he and his daughter, Katherine, were part of a Christian Peacemaker Team in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Paige Lindsey Smith '76 M.Div. joined a number of her classmates from the 70s cluster reunion group in attending the 2007 Convocation and Reunions in October and having a wonderful time. She invites all to take a look at her photos from the reunion dinner and the luncheon in honor of Margaret Farley at http://

picasaweb.google.com/PaigeSmith57/YDSReunion2007 "because it was simply a great Reunion!"