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Frederick
Lincoln Chenery
| Lucille Hager | William
Bill Mears | Robert Elzy Cogswell
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ETSS
Library Acting Librarian, 1965-66
ETSS Library Librarian,1967-2000
Professor of Theological Literature and New Testament (88-00)
Associate Professor of New Testament (74-87),
Assistant Professor of Religious Literature (67-74),
Instructor in New Testament (65-66)
If Fred was a creator of library processes and
a builder of a new library building, Harold was a steward of
his domain. Harold and Pat began their professional life as
Methodist missionaries in Africa. They returned home to marry
and allow Harold to begin his graduate work in religion at Union
Theological Seminary in New York City.
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Harold was asked to serve one year as the acting librarian at
ETSS while Fred Chenery went on his well-earned, year-long sabbatical.
Unfortunately it was during this time that the “death
of God” crisis hit the church.
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A
popular debate over whether "God is dead" was occasioned
by the so-called radical theology propounded in the 1960s by such
theologians as William Hamilton, Gabriel Vahanian, and Paul van
Buren.
The best known of these proponents was Thomas J. J. Altizer,
then a professor of religion at Emory University in Atlanta.
The controversy reflected many of the broader cultural and
political changes in American society often associated with
that decade. "We must realize that the death of God is
an historical event, that God has died in our cosmos, in our
history, in our [existence]," Altizer claimed. His frequently
provocative manner of speaking, which masked a more complex
discussion taking place among academic theologians, for a
brief time made him a minor celebrity in the popular media.1
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The
controversy had a devastating effect on the faculty and student
populations at all mainline denomination seminaries, including
ETSS. If it wasn’t for the generosity of the Diocese of
Texas, which took over all our loan payments for the buildings,
ETSS might not have made it. While Fred returned from his sabbatical
after that year, he no longer felt that ETSS was the right place
for him. The remaining faculty, recalling their positive experiences
with Harold sought him in from his “exile” in Ohio
to ask him to return.
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Harold
and Patricia, both Texan born, were delighted to come back to
Austin, despite the seminary’s uncertain economic situation.
With two young boys, being closer to family and living in a world
they knew made sense to the young couple. The seminary, while
not flush, was a warm and welcoming community.
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During
Harold’s tenure of thirty-four years (1965-2000), despite
shrinking budgets and at times uncertain futures, the library
added nearly 20,000 new items; welcomed the 30,000 volume Seminex
Library collection from LSPS; the 15-20,000 volume Carribean colletion
from the former seminary in Puerto Rico; converted the classification
system for cataloging from Union (Pettee) to Library of Congress;
creating and teaching an in-depth bibliographic instruction course
for students writing research papers and creating the Guidelines
for Written Work to aid students in adding citations to their
written work; began a process of adding artwork from local artists
(particularly Delda Skinner, ETSS student) to the walls; and,
with the help of Lucille Hager and Rob Cogswell, wrote and administered
a grant allowing ETSS to move from a paper system to a completely
computerized library before he retired.
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During
this same time, the library lost three positions (a book keeper,
a professional librarian, and a full-time housekeeper) and had
its budget slashed numerous times. There were many reasons for
this, but the death of god controversy was a major factor. At
one point early on (just before Gordon Charlton came as dean)
there was only one new student enrolled in July for the fall term;
at another point, the faculty wives were brought together mid-summer
to offer daily dinner potlucks to feed the families until the
payroll for the staff and faculty could be met (over a week beyond
the expected date).
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Despite
the limited resources, Pat and Harold made the library a welcoming
place hosting Christmas parties in the library and frequently
hosting dinners at their home. Pat’s reputation for creating
special treats like the recipe for Welsh scones snagged from Gareth
Lloyd Jone’s wife, Gwyneth, or her famous Bourbon balls,
has grown to mythic proportions. Harold had his own reputation
for patient mentoring, often giving the dreaded Bible Content
Exam to students well into the last week of school to allow students
one more chance.
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For
this and many other reasons in the spring of 2000, the faculty
unanimously voted to rename the library in honor of both Harold
and Pat. Patricia had worked for the library 29 years, Harold
34. When they retired, half the current library staff walked out
the door – only Rob Cogswell and Mikail Marie McIntosh-Doty
remained.
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Text
of Trustee’s Award May 2000 Graduation:
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THE
2000 TRUSTEES' AWARD
The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest
Harold H. and Patricia M. Booher
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Exemplary
librarians, diligent curators of our institutional history and
beloved friends, your quiet presence among us for a total of sixty-three
years has been distinguished by caring faithfully for books and
people.
Your steady stewardship and thorough scholarship have enhanced
the work of generations of seminarians and faculty. Your personal
warmth has been a welcoming and constant cornerstone of our
community life.
We celebrate today your shared ministry and give thanks for
all your gifts – especially the gift of service. We are
pleased to present to you the Trustees' Award for 2000.
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May
16, 2000
Austin, Texas
One of my favorite stories about Harold was when I dropped
into his office one day that first year exasperated by a trip
to the administrative offices trying to ensure that my paperwork
was all in place. Several pieces seemed to have made it to several
offices, but each item sort of got stuck wherever it first arrived.
I had to spend some time moving items to their final location.
I understood that this situation had evolved for a variety of
reasons beyond most people’s control, but I still wasn’t
happy about it. I looked at Harold and blurted out,
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"Doesn't anybody here talk to each other?"
"Oh no, Mikail," Harold patiently answered, "we talk to each other all the time."
Pause with a slight smile. "But only about things we aren't supposed to."
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Harold
didn’t talk much, but when he did, it was worth it, if only
for the chuckle or laugh of recognition of the fact that we all
are members of the human race, warts and all.
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1 Article on “Death of
God” Controversy by Patrick Gray, Rhodes College, Memphis,
Tennessee. Published 4/1/2003,
found in Online version of The
New Georgia Encyclopedia, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-861
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