Celebrating the Life of Dr. Gay Byron 1961 - 2023. Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. With Vision... By Faith... Through Action

 

Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. With Vision... By Faith... Through Action

 

Celebrating the Life of Dr. Gay Byron 1961 - 2023

 

The Board of Trustees and the network of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. (SDPC) are among those who are mourning the loss yet celebrating the life and work of Rev. Dr. Gay Byron, who made her transition this week.            “What a huge loss,” said Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers, general secretary of SDPC. “Dr. Byron’s work and voice filled a needed space in the theological world. It’s hard to comprehend that this young woman is gone.”            Dr. Byron was Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Howard University School of Divinity at the time of her sudden passing. She was known nationally and internationally for her work in liberation and womanist interpretations of the Bible. She was also known for her work and interpretation of the Pauline Epistles and race and ethnicity in early Christian writings. She was a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and taught at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School before moving on to Howard.            At the time of her death, she was working on a monograph, “Hidden in Plain Sight: Ethiopic Manuscripts and Early Christianity,” for which she received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.            Comments and tributes for Dr. Byron have flooded social media. She is praised not only for her scholarship, but for the deep relationships she formed with her students. Colleagues, alike, have also praised her for her warmth and determination that her students reach the highest levels of their potential.            “If people do not know of her work,” said Dr. Carruthers, “a fitting tribute would be for them to familiarize themselves with her scholarship. Even from the berth of heaven, her work will continue to shape and influence all who study it.”            “Our prayers go out to all who loved her, most especially her two sons. Loss is difficult in general, but the loss of one’s mother is one of the most difficult griefs to bear. May we all whisper to God on their behalf,” she said.

 

 

 

The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. (SDPC) is a nonprofit organization and United Nations NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) sharply focused on advancing the mission to nurture, support and mobilize African American faith, civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders to address critical needs of human and social justice within local, national and global communities. Named to honor the late Rev. Dr. Samuel DeWitt Proctor - a global 20th century educator, theologian, and civic leader - the overarching organization’s goals are to strengthen the individual and collective capacity of thought leaders and activists in the academy, church and community through education, advocacy and activism. Founded in 2003, it is a respected network of ecumenical congregations, clergy and lay leaders that embodies the values of academic excellence, transgenerational engagement, and community outreach as evidence of faith and Christian witness.

 

 

 

Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. 4533 S. Lake Park Avenue Chicago, IL 60653 www.sdpconference.info   (773) 548-6675