Religion Department 50^th Anniversary Celebration
1-14-06 Reminiscences…
David Maitland

Imagine this: from two half-time to today’s seven full-time Religion Department faculty, plus a couple of temps and the College President, not bad in a culture which values growth.

Before going back to before the beginnings, however, we should applaud today’s diversity. Growth isn’t everything, as most religions would remind us. But, it may have been as much as a decade before the Protestant originals invited the first Jews and Catholics to join them. Remember Rabbi Schwartz & Fr. Lynch?!? John Woocher, who ultimately opted for Brandeis, was the first of these to be tenure-tracked.

Keeping in mind that – unlike a pulpit – I don’t have the evening for nostalgia, I hope to begin to answer at least two questions. Firstly, what was going on societaly that may have lain behind the Department’s origin; and, secondly, how did it come about here? Since the second is the easier, let’s go back to post W.W.II and the Gould presidency, 1945.

First, the G.I. bill resulted in a dramatic increase in the numbers of college students. But, again, numbers don’t tell it all. A much greater variety of young men & women enrolled. Gone, or going, was the era in which children attended their parents’ alma maters. That it took more than being a legacy to be admitted resulted in a progressively more diverse group of undergraduates.

Secondly, and immediately more important here: congregationally founded colleges began recruiting their last preacher/presidents. A devout Episcopal laymen, Lawrence McKinley was the trustees’ choice to succeed long-term Donald Cowling. As noted in Carleton Remembers 1909-1986, changes were overdue. Dr. Gould responded to the novelty of his situation in several ways: e.g. he immediately began conducting once a month required Tuesday Chapels. Soon thereafter, he made two appointments: Mr. Flint’s successor and Dr. Ian Barbour became the first Religion Dept. faculty. Thus did the world-famed Antarctic explorer/geologist put his lasting imprint on us. Were there also wider ramifications?

Before moving on to the Department’s initial receptions on campus here are two items which illustrate the sort of changes which were not anticipated in 1955. The first is a 50 page glossy catalogue which I’ll leave here for you to peruse, entitled, “The Great Courses.” Describing fifty such, with seven in Religion, each is available audio or video “for as little as $15.85 each.” Who could have foreseen such a contribution to the marketing society?

The other is a single page entitled “SHIT HAPPENS;” what do the world’s religions make of this Phenomenon? (see below) Again, who then could have foreseen such a pedagogical innovation?!?

Clearly, time marches on!

Finally, let’s recall the varied reactions on campus to the new Department. Apart from the few Catholics whose priests initially instructed them not to take our courses, the student response was overwhelming. I haven’t saved my grade books from those days, but I think that – in the world’s religions course in Boliou #109 – I had as many as 100 students. With such enthused enrollments guess who paid for Larry Gould’s glorious creation?

Despite a faculty committee’s successful recommendation to the trustees, which was prior to my presence on campus, I have to report that, day-to-day, faculty response was notably more guarded than were students. To what extent this cautiousness resulted from the presence of a former Communist in Math, I don’t know. What is clear is that the same President who created us defended Ken May against alums & others who sought his dismissal. So, on several counts – at least in my eyes – Lawrence McKinley Gould was the hero of that era.

While I would like to take time to recall particulars – like coming out from NYC on the last of Northwest’s prop-driven “Stratocruisers” – of my introduction to Northfield, instead I’ll read a few sentences form two Christmas letters I received last month. Like the items cited above, they keep coming from alums to this retiree who, with Betsy, flourished in our academic community.

Both men deeply regretted their inability to be with us tonight. Don ’58 wrote this: “[The anniversary] sounds like a splendid affair. You and Ian meant so much to me during my undergraduate years and you still do. And getting to know Bard & Dick in later years has been a real treat.”

Bob, who was a member of the first class of Religion majors, reflected thus on himself and us. “Toward the end of the fall semester 45 years ago, I had come to a fork in the road so to speak. I had come to the realization that, unlike my brother, medicine was not in my future. Comparative anatomy did not grab me intellectually that semester and I was barely passing the introductory German class. I was miserable and I needed a change of pace – something about which I could be profoundly interested. Carleton’s chaplain, without knowing it, came to the rescue. I took his New Testament class in the spring of 1961. It was lively, rigorous, interesting, and it changed my life. Your course started an intellectual journey that still hadn’t ended.”

This man retired recently, the first Firehouse Chief with a Ph.D. in Religion.

Which reminds me of a conversation I had with a member of the Beloit College faculty in ’53, while I was both Chaplain there & and taught in the Philosophy Dept. My question: Did I need a doctorate to continue as a minister in the academy? After repeated negatives he finally said, “Oh! I get it! It’s like a nose.” To my quizzical look he said, “If you have one, nobody notices.”

Anglicans. It's true. Shit happens, but only to Lutherans.

Unitarians. We reserve the right for shit to happen.

Existentialists. Shit doesn't happen; it is.

Secular humanists. Shit evolves.

Christian Scientists. Shit doesn't happen and we are not up to our eyeballs in it.

Atheists. Shit doesn't happen. Shit is dead.

EST adherents. We are at cause that shit will not happen.

Fundamentalists. There is no shit in the Bible.

New Age-ers. If shit happens, honor it and share it.

Mormons. When shit happens, shun it.

Amish. Shit is good for the soil.

Scientologists. Why does shit happen? See page 157.

Buddhists. If shit happens, then it really isn't shit. (Zen: what is the sound of shit happening?)

Hindu. This shit has happened before.

Moslems. Shit may be the will of Allah, but we won't take any of yours.

Jews. Why does this shit always happen to us?

Catholics. If shit happens, you deserved it.