Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Dear Members of the HWS Community,

I write with the sad news that Professor Emerita of Religious Studies Mary Gerhart passed away last week at age 90. During more than three decades at Hobart and William Smith, she made a profound impact on the lives of her colleagues and students, always working in collaboration across the curriculum to bridge disciplines and ideas.  

From our first days when Mary and I moved to Geneva in 1999, Mary Gerhart was a welcoming neighbor on South Main Street. A friendly and engaging presence for our young daughters, she shared their love of dogs and generously opened her lovely, three-tiered garden and koi pond for adventure. Indeed, the names of her dogs captured her intellectual vitality: "Tess" after the Thomas Hardy novel and "Geist" named for Hegel's concept of Spirit.

Her engagement with her students was inspiring and her ability to remember them by name years after their graduation was truly astounding. I can recall speaking with a graduate who had returned for his 25th Reunion along the lake overlooking the Bozzuto Boathouse. Mary happened to be walking “Tess” down the street and greeted her former student by name and engaged in a conversation about his time as an undergraduate. His spouse, who had attended a large research university, was stunned. But for those who had the privilege of knowing Mary Gerhart – we knew that she devoted her life to this institution and our students' success. It is no surprise that our alumni nominated her for the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2011, celebrating her contributions to the Hobart and William Smith community.

Professor of Religious Studies Michael Dobkowski recalls that “one of the great gifts I received from her was the conviction that what we do matters and that we can have an enduring impact on our students and the broader circle of responsibility we inhabit…. I find it remarkable and hopeful that a single, unassuming teacher—a scholar like Mary Gerhart, rigorous yet soft, accomplished yet modest—can inspire countless students and colleagues with concepts and insights from texts and her way of being that continues to resonate deeply so many decades later.” 

In 33 years at HWS – starting in 1972 through her retirement in 2005 – Mary was a passionate advocate for the liberal arts and interdisciplinary learning. Her courses, which included “The Religious Imagination,” “The Question of God” and “The Conflict of Interpretations,” intertwined faith, culture and identity and challenged students to think critically through these connections. She served as chair of the Religious Studies Department, the Committee on the Colleges, the Honors Committee and the Committee on Faculty, among others. I appreciated her commitment to faculty governance and learned a great deal from her. 

Professor of Dance and Movement Studies Cynthia Williams recalls the many ways that Mary’s leadership and kindness made a difference in navigating the tenure process and growing as a scholar. “She was a judicious and supportive editor, helping me to find my voice as a writer while suggesting perspectives I had not considered…. Our last phone conversation was on March 4 on her 90th birthday. She was bright and energetic, pausing to hold the phone so I could hear friends singing “Happy Birthday” in the background, and sending someone down to the front desk to retrieve the bouquet I had sent. I assumed I would have more conversations, more visits to Chicago, and more time to spend with her….”  

“Mary was passionate for the life of the mind, and she worked tirelessly (literally in the wee hours of the morning) to draw from students their best possible work,” says Professor of Religious Studies Richard Salter. “I think her great pleasure was when students started to see in themselves what she had seen in them from the start.”

A formidable scholar, Mary was a former member of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity where she trained as a Trinitarian Nun, eventually leaving to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. She authored two books: Metaphoric Process: The Creation of Scientific and Religious Understanding and New Maps for Old: Explorations in Science and Religion, which was co-authored with her late colleague, Professor Emeritus of Physics Allan Russell. 

Mary was named a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in 1984 and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow in 1985. She earned the Science and Religion Course Prize Award from the John Templeton Foundation in 1999. 

Following her retirement, Mary focused her research on the lives and works of historical philosophers Hypatia of Alexandria, Hildegard of Bingen and Simone Weil.

A visitation and mass celebrating Mary’s life will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 2 in St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 5472 S. Kimbark Ave., Chicago, IL 60615. 

Mary lived a remarkable life and our thoughts are with her family, friends, colleagues and all who had the good fortune to know her.

Sincerely,

Mark D. Gearan
President