Marvin E. Smith, former President of the Board of Trustees and Acting Dean of the Disciples Divinity House from 1975-77, died March 11 in Gainesville, Florida. He was 97. After receiving the AB and BD degrees from Drake University in 1938 and 1939; he enrolled in the Divinity School as a Disciples House Scholar. He studied Christian education with W.C. Bower and history with W. E. Garrison, and he received his BD from the University in 1941. A native of Illinois, Mr. Smith and his family traced their affiliation with the Christian Church back to Barton Stone's ministry in Jacksonville, Illinois.

In 1940 he married Grady Maxwell. Their two daughters, Emily and Eva, were born in Lewiston, Idaho, where Marvin served a nine-year pastorate. He later served the First Christian Church of Stockton, California, before moving to the Christian Board of Publication (CBP) in St. Louis. As Director of the Local Church Curriculum Division at CBP, he helped to launch the Christian Life Curriculum. For twelve of his nearly 20 years at CBP, he edited the educational leaders magazine, Bethany Guide. The Smiths were active members of Union Avenue Christian Church in St. Louis, and he taught the Interpreters Class.

Marvin Smith became a member of the Board of Trustees of the Disciples Divinity House in 1961.  He served as its President from 1972-75, and then again from 1977-1985. When Dean Blakemore died in 1975, Marvin Smith became Acting Director; he served in that capacity for two years, retiring from CBP to do so. He tended with care the full scope of the work of the Divinity House, from Board policies to the building's furnishings. Generations of students knew his interest and encouragement. In 1989 Mr. Smith was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Disciples Divinity House; in 1998, he was named an Honorary Trustee for Life.  He had previously been honored with Drake University’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award and with the honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Culver-Stockton College.

The funeral service was held at Carlock Christian Church (near Bloomington, Illinois) on Sunday, March 20. Samuel C. Pearson officiated; Katherine Kinnamon and Dean Kris Culp also participated. Marvin and Grady Smith spent their early retirement years in Carlock, where they maintained the family farm. After Grady's death in 1999, Marvin lived with his daughter, Emily Schwartz, in Gainesville, where he remained an avid reader and a volunteer. The day he died, he had gone to his volunteer work at 10:00 am, collapsed, was taken to the hospital, and died about noon of a massive heart attack. His daughters ask that memorial contributions be made to the Disciples Divinity House.

W. Clark Gilpin and April J. Lewton have been elected to the Board of Trustees. Clark Gilpin, an alumnus and former dean of the Disciples Divinity House and of the Divinity School, is the Margaret E. Burton Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Christianity and Theology in the Divinity School. Mr. Gilpin also leads the Disciples History and Thought Seminar at the Disciples Divinity House. April Lewton, an alumna of the Disciples Divinity House and the Divinity School, is Director of Annual Giving and Community Engagement at Chicago Theological Seminary. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Ms. Lewton is known for her generous and incisive leadership in the general, regional, and local church. She is the former Moderator of the North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD) and a current member of the General Board of the Christian Church and its Administrative Committee.

amyAmy A. Northcutt concludes eighteen years of service as a trustee in December. She was President of the Board from 1998-2004; recently she chaired its scholarship committee. During her presidency, the Board grappled with increased stress on endowment resources due to accelerating tuition costs and needed capital expenditures; over $2 million in estate or planned gifts were completed; a long range planning process clarified the work of the House; and a new model for the Board’s work was developed. An alumna who is Deputy General Counsel of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Ms. Northcutt recently has been named Acting Director of NSF’s Office of Information and Resource Management.

The stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Holy Grail were featured in a tour of stained glass in Chicago this fall and in a just-published newsletter. The September tour was offered by the Charles J. Connick Stained Glass Foundation of Boston. The tour viewed windows that were designed by the Connick Studios: the 1928 windows at the Disciples Divinity House and those at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bond Chapel, University Church, and the Quadrangle Club, among others. Former DDH resident Albert M. Tannler, who is Historical Collections Director, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and a director of the Connick Foundation, was a co-organizer of the tour and authored the newsletter article. The chancel window depicts motifs, figures, and scenes from the story of the quest for the holy grail; the stunning window gave the chapel its name. (The central panel of the lower portion of the window is pictured to the left.)

Divinity School Dean Margaret Mitchell led the Divinity School and the Disciples Divinity House Board of Trustees in remembering Don Browning at a service in Bond Chapel on Saturday, October 23, 2010. Tributes were given by Jean Bethke Elshtain, Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics; William Schweiker, Director of the Martin Marty Center and Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of Theological Ethics; Kristine A. Culp, Associate Professor of Theology and Dean of the Disciples Divinity House; and Elizabeth Marquardt, a former student. The tributes will be published in Criterion, a publication of the Divinity School.

Don S. Browning, the Alexander Campbell Professor Emeritus of Ethics and the Social Sciences in the Divinity School, studied the influence of religion on American family life, as well as the intersection of psychology, the social sciences, moral theory, and religion. From 1977-83, he was the Dean of the Disciples Divinity House, and he served as a trustee until his death. He died June 3 at his home in Hyde Park at the age of 76. The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Browning Family Fund at the Disciples Divinity House.

Brandon Cook and McKinna Daugherty have been named the 2010 Oreon E. Scott and the William Weaver Entering Scholars, respectively. Both are beginning their M.Div. studies.
Brandon Cook, a graduate of Transylvania University who majored in German Studies and Psychology, has a passion for congregational ministry and interests in ecumenical work and disaster relief and development. His home congregation is May’s Lick Christian Church, Kentucky. At Transylvania, Brandon served as an officer of Disciples on Campus, and participated in and planned learning opportunities in the Philippines for fellow student. He has been active in the national and world student ecumenical movement (STEP, SESCM, and the World Student Christian Federation).
McKinna Daugherty was born in Japan, but spent her formative years in Olathe, Kansas, where she became a member of Saint Andrew Christian Church. This past summer she spent a month in Japan and also returned to her home church as an intern. A graduate of Texas Christian University, who majored in Vocal Music and Religion, McKinna’s sense of call to ministry has been shaped by a global perspective and a commitment to social justice, as well as by her study of religion and music. At TCU, she received numerous scholarships and honors including election to Theta Alpha Kappa and vocal performances; she also volunteered in a homeless ministry and served as Media Coordinator for University Christian Church in Fort Worth.

The annual Convocation Service on June 11 celebrated graduating Disciples Scholars and DDH Residents. Graduates included Disciples Divinity House Scholars who received their Master of Divinity degrees or will receive them later this year: Rebecca Anderson, Aaron Smith, Michael Swartzentruber, and Beau Underwood. Underwood also received the Master of Arts in Public Policy degree. Also among the graduates were two ecumenical residents, Heather Mackenzie and Emily Rostkowski, and Alan Terlep, House Scholar from 2005-06, who received his PhD in the History of Christianity with certification in ministry. The service preceded the University-wide graduation, which was held in the main quadrangle on Saturday morning.

Verity A. Jones spoke on "The God of Hope," calling the graduates to a hearty, realistic engagement through their work and ministry, and not mere optimism. Publisher and Editor of DisciplesWorld magazine from 2003-10, Jones is the President of the Associated Church Press, works with the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program, and serves on the advisory board of the Divinity School's Border Crossings project. She has written for the Christian Century and other publications, in addition to DisciplesWorld. A native of Richardson, Texas, she grew up in Enid, Oklahoma. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale College, and a summa cum laude graduate of Yale Divinity School. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, she previously served as pastor of Central Christian Church in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Invoking E. S. Ames, Stephanie Paulsell, David Kagiwada, and a host of other alumni/ae, April Lewton inaugurated the 2010-11 academic year with her homily on Monday, October 4, in the Chapel of the Holy Grail. Lewton, an alumna who serves as the Director of Annual Giving and Community Engagement at Chicago Theological Seminary, is also a current member of the General Board and Administrative Committee of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a past Moderator of NAPAD (North American Pacific Asian Disciples), and a member of the Alumni/ae Council of the Disciples Divinity House. For the full list of events for the fall quarter, click here.

Pamela James Jones has joined the Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Religion and Philosophy faculty at Central Michigan University and an ordained American Baptist minister. She earned an AB from Spelman College and a JD from Temple University, and formerly was a Lecturer in Business Law at Wayne State University in Detroit. She earned the MDiv degree from the Divinity School in 1997 before beginning PhD work in the History of Christianity. A DDH resident during her MDiv and early PhD years, she also returned regularly while writing her dissertation on enslaved Christian women’s identity in the antebellum period (1830-65). From 2003-08 she was a staff minister at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, Detroit. She and her husband, Ted, who is chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University Medical School, have two adult children.

A series of presentations this quarter allow third-year House Scholars to present their culminating MDiv projects. Two are focused on preaching: on May 10, Michael Swartzentruber will explore "The Imaging Word: A Theology of Preaching"; on May 24, Rebecca Anderson will present "Mind the Gap: Preaching as Comedy." Beau Underwood's project on "Disciples and Democracy" brought former General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm to DDH to discuss resolutions and discernment as means through which Disciples engage public life. Finally, in late May, Aaron Smith will consider unity and polarization from a theological, biblical, and public policy perspective.

Michael Swartzentruber, a third year ministry student and Disciples Divinity House Scholar is co-chair with Emy Cardoza of the 2010 Student Ministry Conference, "Worship in Crisis," to be held April 23 at the Divinity School. House Scholar Aaron Smith and House residents Michael Le Chevalier and Jimmy Hoke are chairing committees in preparation for the event. In addition, alumnus Matt Rosen will be the speaker at the Divinity School's Ministry Alumni Reunion Dinner, scheduled in conjunction with the conference. He is the Director of Advocacy and Social Justice for So Others Might Eat (SOME), an interfaith, community-based organization in the District of Columbia that offers a comprehensive, holistic approach to caring for the homeless and poor.