Connections Fall 2022

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

When I speak on behalf of Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, I often include some of our “firsts.” We were the first nondenominational seminary, for example, to name a female president, and the first to name a Muslim to its core faculty. We were the first institution in the U.S. to offer an accredited Islamic Chaplaincy program, and the first in North America to create a chair dedicated to Shi’a studies.

But the “first” that elicits the biggest reaction is this: We were the first seminary in the country to admit women, a decision made in 1889. This issue of Connectionslooks back at those early days and how revolutionary it was for a seminary to decide that women deserved to be admitted on the same terms as men. It covers some of our earliest history until around 1950.

Who were these women who studied at the graduate level when most American women didn’t grad uate from high school? In this issue, you’ll meet people like Adelaide Imogen Locke, one of HIU’s first female students and a widely acknowledged academic star who went on to teach at Wellesley College.

You’ll learn about Annie Fisher, who emigrated from Russia with her Jewish family to escape perse cution. Annie was a dynamic and forward-thinking educator who became the first woman principal and first woman superintendent in Hartford. She also taught at HIU for 20 years.

You may never forget the life story of Eslanda “Essie” Robeson, who was known for managing her famous husband, actor-singer-activist Paul Robeson, but had a fascinating and powerful impact of her own on American society.

These incredible women are our legacy – and yours. They helped make HIU the institution that it is today, and we couldn’t be more proud to call them our own.

Also in this issue, you’ll see what our more recent alums are up to, including one newly minted rabbi who had a chance to speak with Pope Francis. Our alums are building peace, in various ways and with great passion, around the world.

As always, we appreciate your thoughts, ideas, and support. If you’re in the Hartford area, please stop by or join us for an event.

In yours and God’s service, exploring differences, deepening faith.

President Chester David Hartranft Spearheaded Co-Education

A portrait of HIU’s second president, Chester David Hartranft, hangs in a hallway in our main building at 77 Sherman Street, along with portraits of all the presidents in the institution’s history.

In this elegant painting from 1905, President Hartranft’s far-away gaze offers no clues about why he proposed, after taking office in 1888, that HIU defy convention and admit women on equal standing as men.

Let’s review: At the time, women could not vote, and full suffrage in the United States didn’t happen until 1920. For the most part, married women had no right to property and husbands had legal power over their wives. Women had access to only a few occupations, and those who worked were paid a small percentage of what men earned. Most religious institutions only allowed women specific roles in a volunteer capacity.

Despite all this, on the occasion of his inauguration on May 10, 1888, President Hartranft made a passionate argument about expanding seminary education.

“The narrow interpretation of the ministry hitherto prevalent in most seminaries is a relic of sacerdotalism, and is wholly unapostolic in idea. We would welcome with extended arms all who want to teach for Christ, in school-room or through the press.”

No doubt, the smelling salts came out when he went on to state:

“Surely, too, the multitudes of Christian women, graduates of colleges, who enter upon any form of Christian work, should also have the oppor tunity of biblical training before undertaking these grave duties; nay, they should be compelled to undergo the preparation. We can only wonder that no provision has hitherto been made for them.”

The year after President Hartranft took office, the Board of Trustees agreed to accept two women per year, making what was then known as Hartford Theological Seminary the first in the nation to open that door. While our archives don’t record any of the discussion around that decision, we do have a published HistoricalSketchoftheWoman’sBoardoftheHartford Seminary Foundation, 1889-1939 that states: “It was Dr. Hartranft’s creative and dynamic personality that dreamed of theological training for women. … He suggested, and the Trustees one year later resolved,

Seal of The Hartford Seminary Foundation 1834-1913

HIU Private collection

President Hartranft Portrait 1905 Oil on canvas HIU Private collection

‘that women desiring to prepare themselves for Christian teaching, the missionary field, organized charitable work, and religious work other than the pastorate, be admitted to regular, special, and advanced courses of the Seminary, on the same terms as men.’”

Hartranft Hall, Hartford Seminary Foundation Oil 2022

Digital Render HIU Archives

Thus, the history states, “after 55 years of purely masculine training, the Hartford Theological Seminary was ready to open its doors to women in 1889, and was the first Seminary in the country to take such action.”

Following the work of the Women’s Board to secure scholarship funding, the first women enrolled in 1892. By the third class, Miss Laura H. Wild became the first female student to seek and obtain ordination at the express request of the Congregational Ministers of Nebraska. It was said by all that she was the best preacher in her class.

Who were those early trailblazers who supported the institution and attended it when all other options were closed to them?

Hartranft Hall, Hartford Seminary Foundation Postcard 1920

Photo Cardstock HIU Archives

Though we can’t include all the amazing early women connected to HIU who have made significant contributions to society, let’s meet a few.

Rebecca Waldo Church Founder and Philanthropist

At its founding in 1834, the Theological Institute of Connecticut decided to depend on small gifts “from persons of moderate means,” according to TheMemorialHistoryofHartfordCounty,CT1633-1884. But after several years of depending on such gifts and finding the support lacking, the institute welcomed a gift of $11,000 from Miss Rebecca Waldo of Worcester, MA, as a “pledge of necessary endowments.” That would be worth about $375,000 today.

What do we know of Miss Waldo, the woman who gave the first endowed gift to a theological seminary that would become the first in America to accept women?

An article in Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpreta tion tells us that Rebecca Waldo, her sister Sarah Waldo, and their aunt Elizabeth Salisbury were well known in Worcester because they “defied gender conventions by challenging the authority of their minister” after they were excluded from participating in his selection. Rather than “trifle with holy time,” as Elizabeth Salisbury expressed it, “[the three women] withdrew from the First Church to found the (Congregational) Calvinist Church, sparking an acrimonious debate over the nature of authority within the church,” the journal states.

Rebecca Waldo, Sarah Waldo, and Elizabeth Salisbury had unusual agency for women at the time because they were wealthy.

Memorial History of Hartford County - $11,000 Miss Rebecca Waldo Gift 1839 Newspaper Article HIU Archives

“The unmarried Waldo sisters had inherited large sums of money, and by 1827, each was assessed at more than $35,000,” according to the journal article. “Barred by their sex from holding formal positions of leadership and power in the community, these economically independent women asserted themselves in the town church.”

After a lengthy series of conflicts over the leadership of First Church, the women claimed they had the freedom to “decide on our own hearts,” just as “all others [enjoy] the free exercise of the rights of their own consciences.” They argued that “natural law … was impressed by the finger of God” and gave them freedom of thought and action, superseding human law.

With some male allies, the Waldo sisters and their Aunt Elizabeth, who was even wealthier, were able to form their own church and insist on “universal adulthood suffrage” in the election of ministers. In the 1820s,

Theological Institute of Connecticut at East Windsor Hill mid 1800’s Drawing Cardstock HIU Archives

most of those seeking to transfer to the new church were women, “thereby rejecting the presumption of female submission to the male church hierarchy.”

As the church in Worcester grew into the 1830s, the Theological Insti tute of Connecticut was just finding its footing. A description of its initial approach can be found in the Memorial of the Semi-Centenary Celebration of the Founding of the Hartford Theological Seminary.

“By some influential members of the board permanent funds were looked upon with distrust. Had they not in many cases been perverted?” the memorial says. At the time, the sentiment was, “Let us shun this danger. We will rely on the annual gifts of those whose hearts are with us.”

The first year of this approach was successful when 328 subscribers contributed gifts ranging from $750 to 14 cents. After that, it became more difficult to collect sufficient funds ever year. So when Rebecca Waldo contributed $11,000 in 1839, the year before her death, the gift “was hailed with peculiar joy” and “from that time little was openly said against permanent endowments.”

Miss Waldo’s contribution set the institution on a healthy financial footing, without which it might have closed even before it had a chance, 50 years later, to admit women on equal terms as men.

Rev. Fidelia A. Lane (Alum)

Adelaide Imogen Locke Pioneering Student and Professor

Wellesley College 1903 Course Schedule - Studies in Hebrew History from the Disruption to the Greek Period, Associate Professor Locke 1903 Photocopy

Wellesley College 1903 Annual Report

Adelaide Imogen Locke was one of HIU’s first female students, entering in the fall of 1893. She was part of the initial group of six women admitted based on their high scholastic standing. According to the HistoricalSketch oftheWoman’sBoard, Adelaide Locke “was perhaps the most brilliant woman who has ever been in the Seminary. She had a most original and creative mind and captured the Hebrew, Greek, and Systematic Theology prizes to the great chagrin of the men in her class.”

It’s worth noting that Adelaide Locke’s family and educational background had a major impact on her readiness for a theological teaching career at a pivotal moment in the growth of women’s academic education in this country. Adelaide was the eldest of three daughters of Zoe Ann Miranda Noyes and the Rev. William Edwin Locke. Her father graduated from Amherst College in 1864 and from Union Theological Seminary in 1867. He was a missionary for 25 years with the American Board of Commis sioners for Foreign Missions, serving in Bulgaria from 1868 to 1893, along with his wife and family. All three of their daughters were born in Bulgaria. Following Rev. Locke’s missionary service, the family returned to the states where he was a pastor for six years in East Alstead, NH.

Adelaide Locke and one sister, Miranda, followed their mother’s path to Mount Holyoke College. From some of Adelaide’s writings, it’s clear that her involvement with her family’s missionary work in Bulgaria had an impact on bringing theology into present day application.

According to newspaper accounts, Adelaide was one of two women grad uating from HIU in 1895, and she was the only female student invited to make a commencement speech, joining three other male students.

Adelaide Imogen Locke late 1800s Oil Painting Copy HIU Archives (p. 12)

Adelaide Imogen Locke 2022

Oil Painting Color Render HIU Archives (p.13)

Directly after graduation, Adelaide joined the faculty of Wellesley College, working with fellow Mount Holyoke graduate, Mary E. Woolley, to design a curriculum for a new Biblical Studies Department. Adelaide was appointed as an Associate Professor and the initial Department Chair. She guided the growth of the department after Mary Woolley left to assume a new position as President of Mount Holyoke College.

The new department of Biblical History, Literature and Interpretation rapidly emerged as an area that offered academically sophisticated and innovative courses. Mary Woolley had taught most of the Old Testament courses while she was at Wellesley. She had brought in Adelaide Locke

to teach the New Testament work, which included a course in the Life of Christ that was considered an academically significant addition and was destined to become the required course for juniors. Adelaide also intro duced a full-year course in the History of Religions, which the department considered the first of its kind to be offered in an undergraduate college in the U.S.

After a challenging battle with multiple sclerosis, Adelaide Locke passed away at her home in Wellesley, MA, on May 8, 1924, after 28 years of teaching at Wellesley. Her memorial service was attended by the entire Wellesley faculty and many of her former students. Upon the occasion, the Wellesley College News wrote: “Those who have been in her classes will bear witness to the originality and suggestiveness of her thought, her ideals for students, and [the] earnestness of her religious faith.”

Earlier this year, HIU established a scholarship in Adelaide Locke’s name. It goes to a degree program student who has demonstrated notable proficiency in the field of scriptural studies.

Hartford Theological Seminary Portrait 1900 Black & White Photo HIU Archives

Hartford Theological Seminary Portrait 1893 Black & White Photo HIU Archives

Eslanda “Essie” Cardozo Goode Robeson

Writer, Activist, Actor, and Manager of Entertainer Paul Robeson

“Essie” Robeson packed into 70 years what most people would be hard-pressed to fit into three lifetimes. Here’s but a sampling:

A college-educated chemist, she was the first Black person hired to work at New York City’s Presbyterian Hospital in the surgical pathology department. She managed her famous husband, actor-singer-activist Paul Robeson and wrote his biography. She worked with her husband on several independent films and acted in several. She trained as an anthropologist. She spent time as a travel writer and a freelance journalist. She published three books, including one she co-authored with Nobel Prize laureate Pearl S. Buck. She was a sought-after public speaker who railed against racism, injustice, and colonial rule.

Her biographer, Barbara Ransby, says this in Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson: “She transcended class and cultural boundaries and crossed international borders; she conversed in multiple languages and traveled to nearly every corner of the globe.”

Essie Robeson 1910s

Digital Oil/Dry Brush Render HIU Archives

Essie & Paul Robeson 1920s

Digital Oil Render HIU Archives

Robeson 1950s Black & White Photo HIU Archives

Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson

2013 Book Cover

Barbara Ramsey/ Yale University Press

Though she lost her father at the age of five, Essie’s mother managed to send her to the University of Illinois on a scholarship. She then transferred to Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City, where she met Paul Robeson. She married him in 1921 after graduating with a B.A. in Chemistry.

As Paul went onto fame as an actor, singer, artist, and activist, Essie trav eled with him and managed his career while raising their one child, Paul Jr. Eventually, she came into her own as an outspoken writer and activist, pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology at the London School of Economics in the 1930s. After moving back to the U.S. in late 1930s and to Enfield, Connecticut in 1941, she enrolled at then Hartford Seminary’s Kennedy School of Missions with the hope of completing her anthropology Ph.D.

Her biographer states, “While Essie was not particularly interested in the theological side of the curriculum, the seminary was her best option for completing the graduate degree. She completed at least a draft of her thesis and was listed as a candidate for the doctorate in both 1943 and 1944, but for some reason never defended and was never officially awarded the degree.”

While in Hartford, she wrote a paper for a course called “Background in Africa” that explored the discriminatory practices of foreign missions. “In the paper, she discussed the pervasiveness of anti-Black racism and the need for missionary groups to combat it by ‘sharing with,’ rather than ‘giving to’ African communities,” her biographer wrote. She had a passion for Africa and visited several times, studying and interviewing people there and committing herself to African freedom and liberation.

In the 1950s, Essie and Paul were targeted by the FBI, had their passports confiscated, and appeared as uncooperative witnesses before Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist committee. Their careers were derailed. After their passports were returned in 1958, they spent most of their remaining years in London and the Soviet Union, returning to the U.S. in 1963. Essie died of cancer in 1965, a few days before her 70th birthday.

During those final years, her biographer writes: “Essie continued to write extensively about the burgeoning civil rights and Black Power movements and international affairs. … [She] delighted in the upsurge of activity on the part of Black activists, artists, and intellectuals in the mid-1960s. She saw the world shifting and changing before her eyes, yet again, and there must have been some satisfaction in the knowledge that she had played a role.”

Eslanda

Annie Fisher

First female principal and superintendent in Hartford

In 1888, at the age of five, Annie Fisher fled from Russia to America with her parents and eight siblings to escape Jewish persecution. She would go on to become a legend in Hartford education circles, pushing progressive policies and fighting for equal pay for women teachers.

Her own education was exceptional for a woman of her time. Annie grad uated from Hartford Public High in 1900 and was awarded a scholarship to Wesleyan University. In 1904, she was one of the first women to grad uate from Wesleyan, which was then experimenting with co-education. She also earned a Master’s degree from New York University, studied at Columbia University, and traveled to Europe to study psychology. Her obituary said she studied at Hartford International University, though our archives cannot confirm which program she attended or when. Several sources also say she taught at the Kennedy School of Missions for 20 years, helping missionaries learn the latest methods of teaching English.

Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School 1963

Digital Oil Render HIU Archives

Annie Fisher Portrait 1904

Digital Charcoal/Pencil Render HIU Archives (p. 22)

According to the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, Annie bristled against the prevailing attitudes of the day. Wesleyan, for example, refused to include women at their reunions, and it was only after Annie wrote a strongly worded letter that Wesleyan invited women to Annie’s 50th in 1954. “While not invited to join reunions,” she wrote in her letter, “we were nevertheless invited to make contributions.”

Even with her impressive education – most teachers at the time were not college graduates – Annie found it difficult to find a teaching position. “Most places wouldn’t take me because I was Jewish,” she told The Hartford Courant in a profile published in 1965.

She was finally hired to teach adult evening English classes, then as a teacher at the Henry Barnard School in Hartford, which had a large immigrant population and which she and her siblings had attended. Never married, Annie took risks that were unusual for her time. While still a young teacher, in 1908, she borrowed a passport to sneak back into Russia so she could see the place where she grew up and what her family had left behind. “All the time I was back in Russia I suffered frightful headaches from fear of being caught,” she told The Courant in 1965.

Eventually, Annie became the first woman to serve as a principal at a Hartford school, although she also faced prejudice as a Jewish woman in that role. Her excellent work eventually led to her advancement to the superintendent role – again the first woman. Along the way, she developed a number of progressive teaching methods, including grouping students by ability, experimenting with pre-school education, and addressing the whole child – including health and hygiene needs.

She was known as “firm but fair” and so devoted to the school that after a historic flood in 1936, she volunteered to stay on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift until order was restored.

On her retirement in 1945, she was highly respected as a leader who fought for salary reforms and pensions, as well as for student needs, including dental care, eyeglasses, and “daily cod liver oil.” She was known for saying, “the task of a teacher is never done.”

In 1963, Hartford named a school after her, and the Annie Fisher Montes sori Magnet School exists today on Plainfield Street. Among her other awards was an honorary degree from the University of Hartford. She was also the organizer and president of the Emanuel Synagogue Sisterhood and a longtime member of that West Hartford congregation. She died in 1968 at the age of 85.

Rachel Taylor Milton First African American Woman to Graduate from HIU, Activist and Organizer

Rachel Taylor Milton (1901-1995) is believed to be the first African American woman to graduate from HIU. Acknowledged as an American educator, community activist and co-founder of the Urban League of Hart ford, she was inducted into Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994.

Rachel was born in Hartford on May 19, 1901, to John O. and Mary Epps Taylor. She was educated in Hartford’s public schools, then enrolled at HIU. Although she had intended to become a missionary, she turned to social work to address the pressing problems closer to home. She continued her education as she began her professional career in 1924, studying at the University of Pittsburgh, Columbia University School of Social Work, University of Chicago, George Williams College, and Swarth more College, where she attended the first institute on race relations. In 1933 she spent time in Europe researching adult education in Scandinavia.

Over time, she served as executive director of YMCA chapters in Pitts burgh, Omaha, Chicago, and Nashville, desegregating YMCA camps in Pittsburgh and Omaha. She also served as associate dean of women at Fisk University from 1953 to 1955. In 1958 she served as director of the first interracial Senior Citizens Center of the Chicago Housing Authority.

In 1959, Rachel returned to Hartford where she first worked for the State Bureau for Vocational Rehabilitation and became a community orga nizer. In 1962 she led a group that successfully organized a community fundraising drive that raised $90,000 to create an affiliate chapter of the National Urban League in 1964. Her involvement with the Urban League of Hartford continued as she served on its board of directors and as board secretary. The organization continues to offer community services in the areas of adult education, youth development, community health, work force development and training, home ownership, and neighborhood improvement. Active in the Union Baptist Church in Hartford, Rachel Milton was a member of the Chancel Choir and in 1979, she served as Chairperson of the Proposal Committee, which secured the listing of the Church on the National Register of Historic Places. The church is now a stop on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.

Connecticut Theological Institute, Hartford (Original Design - Never Executed)

1879

Architectural Drawing

In addition to her work with the Urban League, Rachel Milton orga nized the Junior Council of the National Council of Negro Women. She became a charter member of the Hartford chapter of the National Asso ciation of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, the Mayor’s Committee on Minority Problems, the Regional Council of the Greater Hartford Community Colleges, the Women’s Auxiliary of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the NAACP and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Foundation.

Over her lifetime, she received many honors. In 1968 she received B’nai B’rith’s Woman of the Year Award. Honors also came from the Alumni Association of the Hartford Seminary Foundation, the Connecticut Histor ical Society, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Prince Hall General Chapter of New England, the Urban League of Greater Hartford, the West Indian Celebration Committee and other organizations.

Rachel was married to Charles H. Milton, who had served as Pastor of the Third Baptist Church and assistant pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, both in Hartford.

Rachel Taylor Milton Portrait 1970s Digital Oil Render HIU Archives

Elizabeth Dimock McArthur

Co-Founder of the First Interracial Preschool in Hartford

Elizabeth (Dimock) McArthur was born in 1918 and died earlier this year at the age of 103. Over her long life, she was deeply committed to civil rights, attending recent protests over the separation of immigrant children from their parents when she was 100 years old.

Born and educated in Scranton, PA, Elizabeth studied piano at the Scranton Conservatory of Music, graduated from the Sherman School of Expression and from Keystone Jr. College. According to her daughter, Pam McArthur, Elizabeth’s parents didn’t think she needed an education beyond high school, but she disagreed and compromised by attending the two-year Keystone, which was close to home.

Having taken that step, she then received a bachelor’s degree in Religious Education from Hartford Theological Seminary and later a Master’s degree in Education from Central Connecticut State University. She also studied piano at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford. “My mother was a lifelong learner,” Pam said. “She wanted to understand everything she could.” During the COVID isolation, Elizabeth’s retirement community brought in lectures from One Day University, and she went to almost every one. She used to say: ‘You stop learning, you stop living.’”

In 1938, while Elizabeth was a seminary student, she attended a lecture by a young doctoral student named Harvey McArthur Sr., who had just returned from Germany and was reporting on what he had witnessed. The story of their meeting has become family legend.

Elizabeth was at the end of a long line of young women who lined up to thank the lecturer for his words. Wanting to stand out, Elizabeth shook Harvey’s hand and said: “Thank you for the lecture – I don’t believe a word of it.” That led Harvey to invite Elizabeth to attend a lecture given by a rabbi at a nearby synagogue the following week, and like that, they became a couple.

They were married in 1941, and after serving in the war, leading a church and working at Wellesley College for several years, Harvey returned to Hartford in 1948 to teach at HIU, where he stayed until 1978. He and Elizabeth lived on campus and raised three children here while Harvey held the Hosmer Chair of New Testament Studies and served as Acting President from 1976 to 1978.

Elizabeth Dimock McArthur Student Portrait Digital Oil Render courtesy of Dimock-McArthur Family

Elizabeth Dimock McArthur Portrait 2022

Digital Watercolor Render courtesy of Dimock-McArthur Family

Elizabeth & Family 1940s Color Rendered Photo courtesy of McArthur Family

In the mid-1960s, a time of great unrest in cities across the country, Elizabeth and a friend decided to start an interracial preschool in Hartford, meeting in a church basement. Initially funded by donations from church members, the school grew and eventually became part of the national Head Start program.

“It was the thing she was most proud of, of any time in her life,” said Pam McArthur, who remembers taking a bus to Washington, D.C., to march with her parents. “Both of my parents were deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement.”

That commitment didn’t diminish over time. At the age of 99, Elizabeth went to weekly protests over the separation of children from their parents at the southern border, continuing after she turned 100. When she could no longer protest in person, she continued her habit of writing letters to politicians, both those she agreed with and those she didn’t.

Pam described her mother as ahead of her time, as well as kind, loving, and grateful. “She had a deep, deep commitment to making the world a better place,” she said. “Everyone who knew her, loved her. She was incredible.” •

Elizabeth & Harvey’s Wedding 1941 Black & White Photo courtesy of McArthur Family

Njehntengazoka Danladi

International Peacemaking Program alum Njehntengazoka Danladi ‘20 has founded an interreligious NGO for children in Nigeria called the Lighthouse Child Development Centre. This organization “engages children in activities that promote national unity, religious peace, communal coexistence, and good governance for a better Nigeria.”

Northern Nigeria experiences religious, communal, and political conflicts. Organiza tions and initiatives there promote interreligious dialogue between adults in Nigeria, but not chil dren. The Lighthouse is the first organization to focus on reorienting children who grow up in the midst of Nigeria’s Christian-Muslim violence. Danladi’s mission is to write a new narrative in children’s minds, so they can live peacefully and love their peers regardless of their faith orienta tion. The Lighthouse organization has ambitions to reach children throughout Nigeria.

“HIU empowered me mentally to think differ ently towards valuing and embracing diversities. Contextualizing my knowledge, I saw a future of a peaceful Nigeria beginning with the child,” he said. “If only we can mold the minds of the children, provide new perspectives for them, then we can save the future.”

Aida Mansoor

Chaplain Aida Mansoor, HIU’s Director of Field Education and a proud alumna of our Islamic Chaplaincy Program, was inducted on July 14 into the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame. Aida was one of four inductees in what the Hall of Fame is calling the “Year of the Woman.”

The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame’s core principle is “that, as a nation of immigrants, the heritage of all immigrant and ethnic communities is part of our common American identity and culture.”

“We are very pleased to recognize this inspiring group of individuals who embody the kind of perseverance, commitment to excellence and notable achievement that have made our world a better place,” said Demetrios Giannaros, president of the National Immigrant Heritage Center, based in New Britain, CT. “They are truly remarkable, and their contributions serve to motivate and encourage future generations to excel.”

Aida is Past President of the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut and a member of its Executive Board. With Masters’ Degrees in Community Health and Christian-Muslim Relations, and an Islamic Chaplaincy Certificate, she has been teaching about Islam since 1999.

Trevian Smith

With his new book, Kingdom Lifestyle Devo tionals and Prayer Guide, Cooperative Master of Divinity alum Trevian “Tre” Smith delivers short devotionals and quick prayers.

The book includes vulnerable personal testi monies and a fresh perspective on our relation ship with God. Each prayer section was written considering aspects of life that we all go through regardless of our background. “I pray that this creation touches people from all walks of life and gives them a quick dose of encouragement,” he said.

While reading devotionals, Tre would often have thoughts and ideas about what he would add or say if he were the author. So, when his friend Leandra Boyd suggested he write a devotional for her brand, Kingdom Lifestyle, he couldn’t say no. Tre grew up going to a performing arts school and loves sports. He connects his love for the arts, sports, and God by using movie, music, and sports references in the devotionals.

Imbran Bonde & Fatima Basharat

Imbran Bonde of Indonesia, an MA in Interna tional Peacebuilding (MAP) alum, didn’t have a chance to read TheChroniclesofNarnia until he was in seminary. “In my village, many children can’t afford to buy books,” Imbran said. “A book is a fancy thing.”

But rather than accept that, Imbran decided to create a small library called Rodo nDaya. This library gives people in his village access to books and offers English classes as well. One of the ideas he learned in MAP was “relational space” - a place that allows people who are different to know and truly respect each other. It is a simple idea but is challenging to achieve.

Currently, Imbran strives to help Poso overcome its violent past by making Rodo nDaya a relational space. For that, he has begun a class for Christian and Muslim children and has been collaborating with fellow MAP alum Fatima Basharat ’22 to talk with the Christain children about Islam. Imbran and Fatima are modeling a strong interfaith friendship for these children. He is also planning a Reflective Structured Dialogue to address post-conflict segregation between Christians and Muslims and has begun to collaborate with the government library system.

Jeremy Schulz

After graduating from the Cooperative Master of Divinity program in 2018, Jeremy has been an active writer on queer spirituality, focusing on queer survival. Dr. Shanell Smith at HIU helped them give voice to their sexual violence survival experience to empower others. They have successfully presented papers in locations such as Boston; Riverside, California; Albu querque; Denver; and Amsterdam.

Jeremy says that a lot of what they write is about “unique ways that individuals who are queer and trans engage with the divine outside of traditional ways of looking at the sacred.” They also became a spiritual counselor at a hospice in Albuquerque, NM. Last year, New Mexico passed legislation so people with terminal illnesses could have medical aid in dying. Jeremy never thought they would counsel folks who actively chose to die. In November 2022, they are presenting a paper on spiritual care and medical aid in dying and honoring the choice to die at the American Academy of Religion.

Laurie Gaum

International Peacemaking alum the Rev. Louis Laurens Botha “Laurie” Gaum of South Africa has received the prestigious Jaap du Rand-Denise Ackermann Award for Unity, Justice, and Reconciliation from the Andrew Murray Prize Fund. This award is given in South Africa to “a person or persons who in a special way contribute or contributed to unity, justice and reconciliation.”

After graduating from Hartford International University in 2018, Laurie has worked unceas ingly in multicultural relations and the facilita tion of interdisciplinary, gender, and interfaith dialogue as an activist theologian. Currently, he works as a facilitator, trainer, and project manager at the non-governmental organization Genderworks.

The Andrew Murray Prize Fund recognized his work in this organization as a workshop facilitator in “Gender, Equity & Reconciliation” and human sexuality. These workshops, among other things, guide churches and congregations on creating a safe and healing space between “straight” and “queer” believers. Laurie also strives to promote respect among people of different faiths with interfaith initiatives.

Allyson Zacharoff ’18 on the Significance of Meeting Pope Francis

Interfaith work gives us all the amazing opportunity to honor the Divine presence in everyone we meet by truly listening to others. I was fortunate to have such an experience of deep respect when I met Pope Francis in May 2022.

I was in Rome that month to attend a gathering of alumni of the Russell Berrie Fellowship in Interreligious Studies, a one-year program that brings together students from around the world for interfaith study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (which I had completed in 2013-2014). It was a wonderfully diverse gathering, with priests, nuns, and lay people from many corners of the earth that had come together for this joyous reunion. As part of the visit, we were scheduled to attend the pope’s regular weekly audience on Wednesday morning. My work in interfaith dialogue through the years has afforded me the amazing opportunity to deeply engage with a number of folks, and it was a dear colleague at the Vatican who was able to offer me a Baciamano (“kiss hand”) ticket to meet the pope during that public audience. This allowed me to sit at the front of the crowd and hopefully spend a few moments with the pope.

When my turn arrived to speak with Pope Francis, I walked forward with my hand extended to him -- he took it, and we stood with hands clasped together throughout the entire exchange. I excitedly introduced myself and explained that I was becoming a rabbi in two weeks --”Saró una rabbina tra due settimane”-- wondering to myself if the pope was familiar with women rabbis, as so often I find that my life path is met with surprise

that women rabbis even exist. But immediately, Pope Francis’ face lit up and he excitedly started speaking in fast Italian, clearly overjoyed to learn that I would soon become a rabbi.

However, it was his response to my next question that meant even more to me. When I asked if I might pray briefly, Pope Francis closed his eyes and bowed his head in respect, waiting for the prayer I was about to offer. To have this person, someone so revered for both his faith as well as his openness to other perspectives and religions, show me this honor, was deeply moving. I proceeded to recite the Shecheyanu, our prayer in Judaism thanking G-d for special moments, in Hebrew and then a brief translation into Italian. After I said, “Amen,” Pope Francis looked up and said in English, “G-d bless you,” and I replied, “You, too.”

Every day we all have the opportunity to truly encounter people of different perspectives, if we are willing to take the leap and really listen and engage across lines of difference. This meeting with Pope Francis meant a great deal to me both because of my love for my mother, who is Catholic and who cried upon hearing of the meeting when I videoed her later that morning, as well as for the deeper symbolism that this moment held: that two religious leaders, from such different backgrounds and belief systems, can see the immense value in engaging with others, even and especially where we differ. I can only hope that many others will join us in this interfaith work until everyone recognizes that by encountering others, we are truly encountering G-d.

REMEMBERING

ELIZABETH D. MCARTHUR

Elizabeth (Dimock) McArthur died in Framingham, MA, on April 22, 2022, at the age of 103. A graduate of Hartford Interna tional University, she received a BA in Religious Education. She earned an MA in Education from Central Connecticut State University. With a vision ahead of her time, she was the co-founder and co-director of the first interracial preschool in Hartford, which later became part of the Head Start program. She taught at the Dominick Burns School in Hartford for seven years. She was active in her community, serving on the Board of the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and on the Board of the South Hadley Chorale, singing with the Chorale for twenty years. She was a docent for the Mt. Holyoke College Art Museum. She served as President of Church Women United of Windham County in Vermont. She was a member of the Quibus Club of South Hadley, MA. From 1948-1949 while her husband taught at Wellesley College, she served as Director of Education at Wellesley Hills. She was an active member of Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford for 30 years and of Center Congregational Church in South Hadley.

THE REV. HUBERT F. ADDLETON

Hubert Franklin Addleton, 92, of Middle Georgia, GA, died on March 22, 2022. Addleton attended Columbia Bible College in Columbia, SC. He also earned a Master’s of Divinity at New Orleans Seminary and conducted post-graduate research at Hartford Seminary and the University of Chicago. During his more than 30 years in Pakistan, Addleton mastered the Urdu and Sindhi languages, working with colleagues from Greek texts to translate the Gospels into Sindhi. While serving in Shikarpur, Hyderabad, and Karachi, he “translated and

published Pilgrim’s Progress in Sindhi; co-authored a Sindhi textbook with fellow missionary Pauline Brown; bought the land that later became Shikarpur Christian Hospital; trained pastors; ministered to the local Christian community; baptized Domji, one of the pioneers of the tribal church in southern Pakistan; and established an international congregation in Karachi.” He also pastored several churches in the southern United States.

DR. MAHMOUD AYOUB

Mahmoud Mustafa Ayoub, a prominent Shi’a scholar and Honorary Faculty Associate in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Interna tional University, passed away on Oct. 31, 2021. As a young boy, Dr. Ayoub attended a British missionary school for the blind. He received his education at the American Univer sity of Beirut (BA, Philosophy, 1964), the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., Religious Thought, 1966), and Harvard University (Ph.D., History of Religion, 1975). His doctoral dissertation, Redemptive Suffering in Islam: A Study of the Devotional Aspects of Ashura’ in Twelver Shiism in the Middle Ages turned into a book that still stands as a classic in the field. After decades of working in leading universities nationwide, Dr. Ayoub found a welcoming home at the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at now Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. He and his wife Lina lived on campus, attended educational events where Dr. Ayoub would often offer insightful commen tary, and frequently welcomed students, alumni, faculty, and staff into their home. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Ayoub received distinguished awards and scholar ships, both for his achievements and research.

THE REV. GORDON SAMUEL BATES

Gordon Samuel Bates, 87, of Cromwell, CT, passed away on Jan. 20, 2022. He was a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford. He earned an M.Div. from Pitts

burgh Theological Seminary and a Master of Sacred Theology from Hartford International University. Ordained in 1959 in his home church (Dayspring Presbyterian) of Yonkers, NY, he served as Assistant Minister at the Second Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg, PA, and in Connecticut as Organizing Pastor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church, serving families east of the Connecticut River. He was a member of the staff as Minister-at-Large at South Congregational Church, East Hartford. He joined the Connecticut Prison Association (now Community Partners in Action) as Program Director of Volunteer Services. After many years of research, in 2017 his book covering the history of criminal justice in Connecticut was published – TheConnecticutPrisonAssociationand the Search for Reformatory Justice. According to his obituary, “He was also truly a pastor and a friend, a man whose ability to listen, empathize, lift up and care for others touched and enriched the lives of so many people.”

CATHERINE S. “INEKE” BIJLEFELD

Catherine Bijlefeld, 92, died on Jan. 10, 2022. During the 24 years when she and her husband, Dr. Willem A. Bijlefeld, were at HIU, their home was a gathering place for students, faculty, and visitors from around the world. She was a charming hostess and happiest when the house was filled with laughing people, talking, and eating. She was a gifted storyteller with a subtle sense of humor and a sharp sense of description who could hold her own in multiple languages. For 13 years, she was a social worker at Avery Heights retirement community in Hartford, bringing energy, joy, and devotion to each resident. She will be missed for her exuberance, diligence, and hospitality.

DR. JOSEPH BLENKINSOPP

Joseph Blenkinsopp, 94, of South Bend, IN, passed away on March 26, 2022. Joe was born on April 3, 1927, in Durham, England. He studied at the University of

London and the Biblical Institute in Rome before earning a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies at Oxford University in 1967. He taught in England, Italy, and Guatemala and at several institutions in the United States, including Chicago Theological Seminary, Hartford Seminary Foundation, and Vanderbilt University. He joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame in 1970, and shortly after that, he was named the John A. O’Brien Professor of Biblical Studies. He retired from Notre Dame in 1999 but continued to pursue his academic interests through writing, scholarly conferences, and occasional teaching until almost the end of his life. He is generally referred to as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the field of Hebrew Bible studies. He was the author of more than twenty-five books and articles, including AHistory ofProphecyinIsraelandThePentateuch.

HAROLD (HAL) BUCKINGHAM JR.

Harold (Hal) Buckingham Jr., who served as an Ambassador at Hartford International Univer sity, passed on June 5, 2022, at age 91. Born on Nov. 3, 1930, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, he gradu ated from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and the University of Virginia Law School, Charlottesville, VA. According to his obituary, he served in the Korean conflict from 1952 to 1954 in the 24th Infantry Division, 34th Regiment. He practiced law for over 50 years at Day, Berry & Howard, LLP (now Day Pitney) in Hartford. He was a member of the United Methodist Church of Hartford for 30 years, where he was active in the church leadership and was a member of the choir. For the past 30 years, he has been a member of Center Church Hartford where he has played a major role in that church’s building preservation and financial strength. An active member of his commu nity, Hal supported various educational institutions and mentored and contributed to numerous charitable and civic organizations.

THE REV. DR. WADI HADDAD

The Rev. Dr. Wadi Haddad, who taught at Hartford Interna tional University, was born in Al Husun, Jordan, on Dec. 28, 1928, and passed away on Dec. 10, 2021. He earned a BA from AUB and a Diploma in Theology from NEST. During 1957-58, he earned a BD from the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA. Upon graduation, he was ordained as a priest in the Epis copal Diocese of Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon (now the Diocese of Jerusalem). He was assigned to the church in Zarqa, Jordan, where he oversaw the construction of The Church of the Savior and The Savior’s School. He received his Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Religion from Harvard University in 1970. He began his academic career as a Lecturer in Arabic Studies at Princeton University (1966-1969), followed by an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Religious Studies Depart ment at the University of Wisconsin (1969-1970). He joined the faculty of Hartford International University (1970-1995), where he focused on Islamic Studies. He served on the faculty of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, from 19751980. In 1980 he returned to HIU as Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and taught there until his retirement in 1995. Long known for his positive outlook, kindness, good humor, and humility, he was much beloved by his friends and family.

THE REV. DR. LEIGHTON MCCUTCHEN

Leighton McCutchen, Ph.D., passed away on May 17, 2022, surrounded by family. He grad uated from Davidson College in 1955, went to graduate school at ATS and Union Theolog ical Seminary, and did clinical training at Medical College of Virginia at Richmond & Staunton State Hospital. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. Leighton was an inventive presby terian minister, once offering a sermon on Ciardi’s poem: “The King Who Saved Himself from Being Saved.” In

1965 Leighton became Assistant Professor and Chairman of Ph.D. & Masters Studies in Human Nature & Religion at Hartford International University. He developed a successful program allowing students to disassociate from the Vietnam war and taught psychology and philos ophy of religion. He published DreamwithoutMythand TheFatherFigureinPsychologyandReligion in 1972. In Hartford, Leighton developed an international lecture series, later becoming a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School. He also became a community psychoan alyst and clinical psychologist. In addition, he developed an independent practice for children and families called the Shelburne Falls Clinical Group. Retiring in 2002, Leighton wrote poetry. Philosophy, psychoanalysis, and farm work were rich intersections for him.

THE VERY REV. DR. JOHN MCINDOE

The Very Rev. Dr. John Hedley McIndoe was born in Sunder land, England, in 1934 and passed away on Jan. 15, 2022, at the age of 87. He excelled in Classics, which became his chosen field of study at Glasgow University, where he obtained a MA and a BD. After graduating with distinction, McIndoe spent a year in the United States in 1959-60, earning a Master’s degree at Hartford International University. This was a formative experience in broadening his intellectual and cultural horizons. Upon his retirement in 2000, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Glasgow University. According to his obituary, “McIndoe was also a skilled mimic, a talent that he did not often display publicly.” He relished his ministry in various congregations. A landmark of his London years was his appointment as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1996.

THE REV. DR. ROGER S. NICHOLSON

Roger Stewart Nicholson died May 28, 2022, at the age of 94 in Verona, PA. He graduated from Tufts University in 1949 and entered Yale University Divinity School, receiving an M.Div. in 1952. Upon receiving a call to serve as assistant pastor at The Park Church in Elmira, NY, he was ordained by the Essex South Association

of the Congregational-Christian Church of America on June 13, 1952. A member of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ, he served as its Moderator in 1976 and also chaired the board of direc tors. He received a Doctor of Ministry from Hartford International University in 1983 and was cited by the institution for distinction in parish ministry in 1990. A 51-year member of Rotary International, he was a past president of the East Hartford, CT, Rotary Club, and a Paul Harris fellow. He served as Coordinator of Volun teers for Heifer International in Connecticut from 1983 to 2003 and became Western Pennsylvania Volunteer Coordinator in 2004. While coordinator in Connecticut, he co-chaired the development task force for Overlook Farms in Rutland, MA, Heifer International’s Northeast Regional Center.

ELIZABETH ADAMS “BETTYE” NOYES

Elizabeth Adams “Bettye” Noyes, 103, of Stonington, passed away on Nov. 9, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton College, Class of 1940, and was honored with the Wheaton College Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012. Elizabeth earned an MA at Hartford International University. In 2017, she wrote a book about the value of personal history called The Blue Chest. She was involved in church work, youth group programs, teaching, and community organizations throughout her life. Her professional life included Trek tour guide, Girl Scout field director, director of religious education, and Mystic Seaport Museum docent. In 1984, she joined the staff at Mystic Seaport Museum. For over 30 years, she loved her museum work and friends. In 2016, she was honored with the Mystic Seaport Lifetime Achievement Award. Her loved ones remember her as a warm person who made everyone feel special for being themselves.

CANDACE VINCENT

Candace Keith Vincent, 80, passed away on Jan. 23, 2022. Always looking for ways to help others, she was an avid volunteer for various community, church, and school causes. Most recently, Candy volunteered donating food and writing supportive postcards for the

Vergennes Food Shelf. She won a statewide volunteer of the year award given by the United Way in Connecticut. Candy was proud to be a lifelong member of the USA Girl Scouts. She enjoyed flowers, gardening, animals, and bird-watching. She had a passion for water and swam whenever she could. She was very engaged and active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Huntington, CT, serving on the vestry, outreach, and hospitality committees. Wanting to learn more about her religious tradition and deepen her spirituality, Candy earned a Leadership Certificate in Theology from HIU and a Certificate in Education for Ministry from the University of the South.

THE REV. WILLIAM HENRY WEST

The Rev. William Henry West, 76, of Old Saybrook, CT, passed away on Aug. 26, 2021. He earned a BA from Alfred University in 1967 and a M.Div. from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Center, MA. Upon graduation, he became a cler gyman, holding roles in West Parish Church in Andover, MA, and Greens Farms Congregational Church in Westport, CT. He was the director of the Youth Services Commis sion in Westport, a board that seeks to fill the needs of young people in the community. He also worked for the United Way and Literacy Volunteers of America and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Operation Hope of Fairfield and Bridgeport. Wanting to work one-on-one with individuals in need, he earned a chap lain certification from Hartford International Univer sity. He served as a Protestant chaplain, first at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford and at Saint Raphael’s in New Haven. In addition to his duties as a chaplain, he counseled men suffering from drug and alcohol addiction at the Relapse Prevention Program at Chapel Street in New Haven.

Illustration by Claire Wyman