Lefevre, Perry D. 1921-2006
(Perry Deyo LeFevre)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born July 12, 1921, in Kingston, NY; died of complications from Parkinson's disease, August 20, 2006, in Gwynedd, PA. Educator and author. LeFevre was a retired professor and dean at the Chicago Theological Seminary who also helped establish its popular Seminary Co-op Bookstore. A pacifist and conscientious objector to World War II, he remained in school during the war. LeFevre earned a B.A. from Harvard in 1943, followed by a B.D. from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1946. Ordained in what is now the United Church of Christ, he taught religion at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from 1948 to 1949. He completed a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1951, then taught at Knox College for four years. Returning to Illinois, he became an associate professor of theology and education at the University of Chicago and teacher for the Federated Theological Faculty. The latter was an organization whose members taught at four seminaries in the Chicago area, but when it was dissolved in 1961, LeFevre moved on to the Chicago Theological Seminary. The same year, he founded the Seminary Co-op Bookstore, which is considered an institution at the school. For the next twenty years, he was the university's dean and a professor of theology. He was also a leader of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools, which made it possible for seminary students in participating schools to take classes at multiple facilities within the system. After retiring from teaching, LeFevre served as president of the association's board until 1991. He also returned briefly to the Chicago Theological Seminary to serve as acting dean from 1990 to 1991. LeFevre wrote many books on Christianity, education, and theology, including The Christian Teacher (1958), Radical Prayer (1982), Spiritual Nurture and Congregational Development (1986), and Challenge and Response (1999).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, August 22, 2006, section 3, p. 6.