With the passing of the internationally respected theological ethicist and emeritus faculty member James M. Gustafson on Jan. 15, the world lost “a towering scholar,” says former Emory President James T. Laney, who led the university’s efforts to recruit him in the late 1980s. Gustafson came to Emory to lead the Luce Seminars, groundbreaking interdisciplinary seminars that not only had a lasting impact on Emory faculty but became a model for other universities.
A native of Michigan, Gustafson was the son of a minister. After receiving a BS from Northwestern University and a BD from Chicago Theological Seminary, he was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1951 and served as a pastor in Northford, Connecticut, while pursuing doctoral studies at Yale University.