In Memory of Her: Beverly Wildung Harrison

By Mary E. Hunt

With great sadness and deep respect, the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) joins countless friends and colleagues around the world mourning the death and rejoicing in the life of Beverly Wildung Harrison. Bev passed away peacefully last night, December 15, 2012, in North Carolina where she had lived for many years.

Beverly Wildung Harrison, a feminist religious ethicist, was the Caroline Williams Beaird Professor of Ethics at the Union Theological Seminary in New York where she taught for three decades. She was the first woman President of the North American Society of Christian Ethics and served on the Board of the American Academy of Religion. Her landmark book, Our Right to Choose: Toward a New Ethic of Abortion (1983) remains a signal contribution to the field.

Bev’s students who became her colleagues are among the most influential ethicists teaching and writing today. Her mentoring and friendship set the bar high for how to be a feminist professor. Her stalwart commitment to justice is a legacy all its own.

May she rest in peace. May her family and friends find solace in wonderful memories.

Mary E. Hunt

Beverly’s obituary may be read at Union Theological Seminary’s website.