Dolores Highbaugh, a Disciples leader, long-time friend of the Disciples Divinity House, elder of Park Manor Christian Church, and mother of trustee Claudia Highbaugh, died early Friday evening, February 27, 2026, in Chicago. She would have turned 99 on her birthday in April.

Dolores was a lifelong voice for transformation and engagement across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and in other venues. DDH is different because Dolores participated in its life and in its students' lives. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is different because she helped to transform and lead it. 

She provided essential leadership for the Disciples following Restructure and Merger, including serving on the Moderator Team for General Assembly from 1975-77. She regularly attended Monday dinners and programs at the Disciples Divinity House. She always had challenging questions for House Scholars as she nudged them to be educators for all people in the church. Her example, ideas, and encouragement were formative for DDH’s students and deans.

Dolores Jones and her family migrated from Jackson, Mississippi, first to Detroit, and then to Chicago. In 1947, she was introduced to Richard Highbaugh, who was pursuing his MBA at the University of Chicago following his service as a Tuskegee Airman. They were married in Chicago in 1949. They joined what would soon become Park Manor Christian Church. They raised two children, Claudia and Earl Burton, and were proud that both were graduates of the University’s Laboratory Schools.

Both Richard and Dolores served as elders and in many other ways at Park Manor. Dolores gave important leadership in the Chicago Disciples Union including in transformative interracial initiatives. She worked with Disciples Women in the regional and general church, often alongside Sybel Thomas and Eddie Griffin. She was a valued participant in ecumenical work for the general church, where she was typically the sole lay woman among white male clergy and theologians.

Arrangements are pending. She is survived by her daughter, Claudia. She was predeceased by her husband, Richard, who died in 2006 at age 85, and by their son, Earl Burton, who died in early February.  

In 2022, the Highbaugh Family Fund was created at the Disciples Divinity House on the occasion of Delores’s 95th birthday and to ensure that the Highbaugh family's profound example, commitment, and challenge are sounded for future generations of learners and leaders.

Evelyn Thomason was a highly educated and accomplished individual who dedicated her life to law, community service, and her family. When she died January 15, 2025, at age 82, she and Laird Thomason had been married for sixty-one years. As the first anniversary of her death approached, Laird decided to create the Laird and Evelyn Thomason Memorial Fund with a $10,000 unrestricted gift.

The fund celebrates a partnership that began in Iowa and was rooted in the deep soil of the Disciples of Christ. After a fateful meeting in a youth group, both would attend Drake University. In 1963, they married at the Wakonda Christian Church in Des Moines. Laird had completed his first year as a House Scholar by then. Their lives remained intertwined with DDH after that, even as they became centered in the Capital Area region. Laird completed a formative internship with alumnus Arthur Azlein at the Michigan Park Christian Church and, eventually, became minister of the Bethesda Christian Church. Evelyn completed law school and entered practice. Both were engaged in congregational, regional, and general Disciples work.

Through DDH and with fellow alums, the Thomasons cultivated lifelong spiritual, intellectual, and justice connections. Laird's gift helps ensure that possibility for future generations—and thus stands as a living tribute to Evelyn’s memory.

The scholarship was created to honor the memory of Amy Northcutt—to sustain her love of people and ideas, her relish for thinking creatively and critically to solve problems and build connections, and her sense of God’s grace in the world and our responsibility for each other. Amy was an alumna and a leader of nonprofit and government organizations, including as President of the Board of Trustees of the Disciples Divinity House. An attorney by training, she was the Chief Information Officer of the National Science Foundation at the time of her death in May 2017.

The idea for the scholarship was to build a permanent fund to support emerging women leaders of promise who study religion or theology through the Disciples Divinity House. Since the fund's creation, 217 different donors, families, or entities have contributed 398 separate gifts. Twenty-five gifts totaling over $20,000 were made at the end of 2025. With this surge of generosity, donors lifted the total past the initial goal to $257,344.

"This remarkable response is a loving testament that Amy continues to live in our hearts and that her legacy will live on to support others for years to come," said Craig Middlebrook, Amy's husband.

Reaching this threshold ensures that the first Amy A. Northcutt scholarship will be awarded later this year. A celebration of the new award and of Amy's legacy is tentatively planned for the opening of the 2026-27 academic year in late September.

Two alumni/ae have been called to lead historic Disciples congregations. 

Lee Hull Moses will become Senior Minister of Central Christian Church in Indianapolis on February 15. At the heart of the city, the congregation reaches out with compassion and engagement, social services, education, and timely preaching. Lee follows Linda McCrae at Central. Lee has been Executive Director of The Proclamation Project since 2023. She previously served as the Associate General Minister and Vice President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and in congregational ministry in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Falls Church, Virginia. She is the former president of the Board of Trustees of the Disciples Divinity House and a MDiv alumna.

Colton Lott has been called as Senior Minister of First Christian Church, Norman, Oklahoma, beginning March 9. The large congregation is a vital place of worship and service in the university town. Colton concludes seven and a half years as the senior minister of First Christian Church of El Reno, Oklahoma, where his ministry has been characterized by a commitment to creative worship, abundant hospitality, and partnership. A trustee and alumnus of the Disciples Divinity House, Colton also chairs the Board of HELM. He is the vice moderator of the Christian Church in Oklahoma and will chair the 2026 regional assembly; he regularly volunteers with Oklahoma Disciples youth programming.

On Monday, September 25, Disciples Divinity House held its first service of this academic year in the Chapel of the Holy Grail. Incoming scholars and residents got to experience their first taste of what chapel and Monday dinners are like, and returning scholars and residents got to join together in community once again. Guest speaker, Colton Lott, took the anointing at Bethany as his text. He considered why anointing is needed in these times and how a certain extravagance -- including perhaps an extensive renovation -- may be a necessary act of faith in difficult times. After the chapel service, trustees, staff, and alums offered blessings for re-inhabiting the building. Students celebrated the renovations with a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially welcome everyone back to the new and improved House.

Colton Lott, an alumnus and trustee, is the Senior Minister of First Christian Church of El Reno, Oklahoma. His sermon, Some extravance, was later published in the DDH Bulletin. Pictured with the ribbon and scissors are Sai Srinivas, Ella Johnson, Lilia Ellis, and Delaney Beh. Delaney is the president of the student-run House Council.

Fourteen individuals have been named Disciples Divinity House Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. Their awards provide full tuition, housing, and stipends that allow for immersive preparation at DDH and through MDiv, MA, or PhD degree programs at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Several named scholarships honor individuals and extend legacies of service, thought, and action. 

New Scholars
Annika Fuller (MDiv) is the M. Elizabeth Dey Scholar. She is a 2025 graduate of the New College of Florida, where she majored in Psychology and Religion and studied music performance. She has been a lifelong member of Palm Lake Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Florida, active in regional camps and the regional youth council, and a HELM Leadership Fellow.
Ella Johnson (MDiv) has been named the Martin Family Scholar. She was the valedictorian of the 2024 graduating class at Texas Christian University, where she majored in Religion and Politics. A leader of Disciples on Campus at TCU and involved at University Christian Church and Galileo Church in Fort Worth, she was also a HELM Leadership Fellow and a Be the Neighbor site director. She was raised in the Heart of the Rockies Christian Church in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Fiyori Kidane (MDiv) is the inaugural recipient of the Jim and Peggy Powell Scholarship. She is a 2019 graduate of Texas Christian University and a former HELM Leadership Fellow. After graduation, she worked with refugees in Greece as a Global Mission Intern. More recently, she served as the People-to-People Coordinator for Disciples Overseas Ministries. Her home congregation is Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis.
Allison Nash (MDiv), a 2022 BA and MA graduate of Earlham College in English and Education, was the librarian at the St. Louis Language Immersion School. Serving as a Disciples Peace Intern in summer 2024 catalyzed her decision to pursue the MDiv/MSW degrees. While in St. Louis, she was active at Union Avenue Christian Church. She is the Oreon E. Scott Entering Scholar, named for a Disciples lay leader from Union Avenue.
Brandon Roberts (MA) is a 2025 honors graduate of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he majored in History and Educational Studies. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he became a member of the Gerlaw Christian Church while at Knox. He is the Henry Barton Robison Scholar. His interests are biblical studies and critical theory. He is DDH's new librarian. 
Hayden Skaggs (MDiv) is the William N. Weaver Entering Scholar. He is a 2025 honors graduate of Eureka College, where he studied Sociology and Religion, was a campus leader, and interned at Eureka Christian Church. He was a Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate, HELM Leadership Fellow, Phillips University Leadership Fellow, and interned with Be the Neighbor.

Continuing Scholars
Rachel Abdoler (PhD student in the History of Christianity) is the Barbara and Clark Williamson Scholar in recognition of her commitment to interreligious understanding. She studies the Copto-Islamic milieu in Egypt through medieval Christian texts written in Arabic. A Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship is underwriting her research in collections of the Vatican Libraries and in Cairo.
Delaney Beh (MDiv) has been awarded the M. Ray and Phyllis Schultz Scholarship, which recognizes promise for pastoral ministry. This summer brought a formative opportunity to preach and lead as the sabbatical minister at First Congregational Church UCC in Loveland, Colorado, where alumna Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson serves as minister.
Grace Dearhamer (MDiv) has received the Florence Drum and Eleanor Tenant Scholarship. She is doing field education at First Christian Church of Arlington Heights with alumna Allie Lundblad. A summer internship sponsored by Week of Compassion in partnership with National Council of Churches of the Philippines, provided hands-on experience and reflective learning about disaster relief and international sustainable development.
Katie Varon (MDiv) is the W. Barnett Blakemore Scholar. She and Grace Dearhamer worked alongside each other in a summer internship in the Philippines (see above). She is interested in the intersection of religion and politics and plans to pursue the dual MDiv/MA in Public Policy program. She serves as DDH’s Head Resident.
MariaIsabelle Garcia (MDiv) was immersed in the life of Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis this summer. Under the mentorship of Associate Minister Sarah Zuniga, Isabelle learned about community outreach, preached her first sermon, and helped to create an alternative third worship service. Now engaged in field education as University Christian Church in Chicago, she is the Dr. Geunhee and Mrs. Geunsoon Yu Scholar.
Hart Lang (MDiv), the Edward Scribner Ames Scholar, is a performance artist and a storyteller who holds a MFA in creative writing. The study of Christian spirituality and ministry are broadening his practice and sense of his own vocation. This year he will engage field learning at Lakeview Presbyterian Church.
The Rolland and Laura Frances Sheafor Scholarship has been awarded to Tristan Spangler-Dunning (MDiv). A MA graduate of Union Theological Seminary and a history buff, he has worked on a history of the Pension Fund and is doing field education with the Church Narrative Project.
The Bernard F. and Annie Mae Cooke Scholar is Emma Yeager (MA), who is studying themes of ecology in medieval theology and literature and exploring an interest in museum work. During a summer internship with the University’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC, formerly the Oriental Institute), she created a new tour focused on religion in the ancient Near East.
The William Daniel Cobb Alumni/ae Scholarship, awarded by the Alumni/ae Council, enabled nine incoming and continuing Scholars and June graduates to attend the General Assembly of the Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, July 12-15. They participated in business sessions, workshops, exhibits, worship, and the DDH luncheon.

Robert W. Crowe died September 23, 2025, in Northfield, Illinois. He was 101. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Disciples Divinity House from 1983-91, including as Treasurer. A graduate of the College and of the Law School of the University of Chicago, he became Vice President, Chief Legal Counsel for publisher R.R. Donnelly. Later, he was a pioneer in the field of mediation, establishing one of Illinois' first mediation firms. He was wise and gifted, a person of deep faith. An elder at Winnetka Presbyterian Church and a Stephen’s Minister, he was a member of The Christian Century Foundation and the Divinity School's Visiting Committee, and he was devoted to ensuring affordable housing through the Good News Partners. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, four children, and four grandchildren. 

On September 12, members of the Board of Trustees gathered at the historic Meeting House at Cane Ridge, Kentucky. Joel Brown, President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society and a alumnus of DDH, and special guests from the area joined the trustees for the day. Brown and trustee Claudia Highbaugh explored truth-telling and tradition. Cane Ridge, Joel said, “is not just a backdrop for our tradition’s origin story. It is a lens.”

What draws us together? What do we leave behind? What do we take with us? Exploration of these questions continued as the Board of Trustees formally convened in retreat at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, September 12-15, 2025. Each day explored a theme through conversation, deliberation, and worship: Learning from the past, How do we vision amidst these times? and Moving forward in hope. The trustees heard a report on the renovation and reaffirmed DDH's commitment to in-person, face-to-face education and the cultivation of community life. They reflected on the meaning of vocation in fraught times. And they asked, Where do we go from here? How can we prepare for a future that is beyond our present imagining?

Every board member participated, and they were pleased to be joined by Divinity School Dean Jim Robinson for the entire retreat. It was planned by a task force led by Melinda Keenan Wood with Angela Kaufman, April Lewton, Colton Lott, and Board President Pam Jones. Various trustees made or convened panel discussions. The retreat closed in worship with a homily by Vy Nguyen, Rooted while moving, communion led by David Vargas and Tony Rodriguez, and a benediction by Cynthia Lindner.

Six individuals have been named new Disciples Divinity House Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. They will join nine continuing scholars, five new ecumenical residents, and seven returning residents this fall.

Clockwise from the top left, they are:
Ella Johnson (MDiv) was the valedictorian of the 2024 graduating class at Texas Christian University, where she majored in Religion and Politics. A leader of Disciples on Campus at TCU, and involved at University Christian Church and Galileo Church in Fort Worth, she was also a HELM Leadership Fellow and a Be the Neighbor site director. She was raised in the Heart of the Rockies Christian Church in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Brandon Roberts (MA) is a 2025 honors graduate of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he majored in History and Educational Studies. His interests are in biblical studies and critical theory; he has already given several conference papers. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he became a member of the Gerlaw Christian Church while at Knox.
Annika Fuller (MDiv) is a 2025 graduate of the New College of Florida, where she majored in Psychology and Religion and studied music performance. She studied in Germany during her final term. She has been a lifelong member of Palm Lake Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Florida, active in regional camps and the regional youth council, and a HELM Leadership Fellow.
Allison Nash (MDiv) is a 2022 BA and MA graduate of Earlham College in English and Education. She has been serving as a librarian at the St. Louis Language Immersion School. In St. Louis, she was active at Union Avenue Christian Church. Her home church is Park Christian Church in New Bedford, Indiana. Serving as a Disciples Peace Intern in summer 2024 catalyzed her decision to apply for MDiv studies. Allison plans to pursue the dual MDiv/MSW degree program.
Fiyori Kidane (MDiv) served from 2023 through this spring as the People-to-People Coordinator for Disciples Overseas Ministries. She is a 2019 graduate of Texas Christian University and a former HELM Leadership Fellow. After graduation, she served as a Global Mission intern in Greece, where she worked with refugees. Her home congregation is Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis.
Hayden Skaggs (MDiv) is a 2025 honors graduate of Eureka College, where he studied Sociology and Religion. He has been preparing for leadership in congregational, multi-religious, and academic contexts, including as an intern at Eureka Christian Church and as a Be the Neighbor intern. He was a Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate, a HELM Leadership Fellow, a Phillips University Leadership Fellow, and a campus leader at Eureka. This summer, he walked the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain.

Donald Aubrey Leak, entering class of 1960, died July 21 in the Seattle area. He was 89.

Born in Indiana on September 20, 1935, Don earned his BS degree at the Indiana University. He met Joyce Weigel, a fellow student at Indiana University, and they married in 1957. He continued to Divinity School, becoming a Disciples Divinity House Scholar in 1960 and earning his BD from Chicago Theological Seminary. During his career served as an administrator for religious and nonprofit organizations, including for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and for the YMCA. He and Joyce retired in the Seattle area and remained active as a DDH alumnus. He is survived by his wife and their two sons, David and Bruce.