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Dr. Mary Lin Hudson reflects on the retirement of Dr. Steve Parrish:

One of the things that makes MTS a fine seminary is the dedication of people like Dr. Steve Parrish, and without him in his office on the second floor of Cumberland Hall, the campus just isn’t the same.

MTS misses his sandaled feet striding across the breezeway between Cumberland and Founder’s Hall. Like our very own “Jesus Action Figure,” the bearded, blue-jeaned boy from Kentucky would faintly smile, turn his head, and show people kindness and concern on the busiest of days. In the cold of winter, his sandals signaled a stubborn disdain for conventional footwear that might mark him as one of the professional elites in our community. His lengthy hair and his weathered automobiles made you know that he was no ordinary professor of Hebrew Scriptures!

We miss his humble spirit that felt at home with ordinary folks, people who came to life in our midst through his sermon stories about cutting tobacco in the fields of Kentucky, or swimming in the creek down the road from his boyhood home. We miss his sermons full of hermeneutical precision couched in pastoral concern for people on the streets and in the pews.

We even miss the Parrish coffee mug, an artifact that looked as if it had been excavated from the ruins of the ancient Babylonian Empire. In truth, it was once a pristine drinking vessel that became stained during 30+ years as Dr. Parrish read books, wrote articles, and graded tons of papers. Dr. Parrish’s coffee mug told a story about a person who relished the “unwashed” look so that nobody else would be tempted ever to drink after him.

What MTS misses most is his scholarly work as a teacher. Dr. Parrish brought a quiet wisdom to the classroom that generously laid before students the knowledge and grace that made him such a good teacher. He set high standards for himself as a scholar, and he felt deep pain when he saw people beaten down by injustice. He taught us to love God, love the earth, love each other, and love the Psalms.

Thank you, Dr. Parrish for years of dedication to the MTS community. This place will never be quite the same without you! You are greatly missed!

-Dr. Mary Lin Hudson

Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics,

Asssociate Dean of Academic Assessment and Advising