End of an Era

I recently had the privilege of being invited to take part in a book panel at the Canadian Society of Presbyterian History at Knox College, Toronto. The book in focus was Stuart Macdonald’s Tradition and Tension: The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1945-1985 (MQUP, 2025).
 
It was an enjoyable time to get back to Knox College, for I had been a doctoral student there in the late 1990s into the early 2000s. It was a wonderful experience, in part because I had such top-quality faculty guiding me through the program.
 
What made the return to Knox College even more meaningful was the fact that the panelists were comprised of former faculty who played a part in my formation as a historian. And what made it even a more poignant event was the fact that those same faculty had all recently retired. 

Here is a picture taken after the panel. From left to right, John Vissers, Phyllis Airhart, Stuart Macdonald, Alan Hayes, and me. (Apparently male church historians wear blue shirts.)

• The panel chair, John Vissers, was not at Knox College when I was a student, so I did not know him back in the late 1990s. However, I had heard of him at Tyndale Seminary, and his reputation was stellar. Since that time, I have seen that he is a faithful, caring, and incredibly bright theologian.

 

• Phyllis Airhart (Emmanuel College) was my primary supervisor throughout my doctoral work. She was the gold standard of supervisors, and any success I have in my profession is directly linked to her guidance and example.

 

• Stuart Macdonald (Knox College) was on my doctoral committee. I also briefly served as a Teaching Assistant for him. Stuart was always kind, insightful, professional, and a man of integrity. One could not go wrong following his example.

 

• Alan Hayes (Wycliffe College) was the head of Toronto School Theology (TST) at the time. I did not know him then, but his example was always before me. Since that time, I have got to know him as a humble, intelligent, and passionate historian. And like historians Phyllis and Stuart, a role model par excellence. 

 
What is noteworthy is that all three of the historians on the panel – Phyllis, Stuart, Alan – are all recently retired. (I could also add Mark McGowan as a recent retiree – he is a giant in Catholic church history and was a faculty member at St. Micheals College. Brian Clarke at Emmanuel College was also very helpful in my doctoral work, and his expertise in historical research is widely recognized). 
 
Having so many high-octane church historians on one university campus is unique, and I consider myself to have been fortunate to have been at TST during such a Golden Age. One can only hope that the colleges that make up TST will seek to build yet another Golden Age.