OBITUARIES: Jacob Frank Schulman

UU World: The Magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Summer 2006

The Rev. Dr. J. Frank Schulman died January 4, 2006, from cancer. He was 78 years of age.

Schulman was born March 26, 1927, in Nashville, Tennessee. He had an outstanding academic career with a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma, S.T.B. from Harvard University, D.Min. and D.D. from Meadville Lombard Theological School, and M.A., D.Phil., B.D., and M.Lit. degrees from the University of Oxford in England. Schulman was ordained in 1954 at the Arlington Street Church in Boston. He served congregations in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts; Youngstown, Ohio; Houston and Huntsville, Texas; and Horsham in West Sussex, England.

At Oxford Schulman supervised the training of the divinity students at Harris Manchester College, taught various courses, and was appointed to Oxford's faculty of theology, the first Unitarian to hold that appointment.

Schulman was named minister emeritus at the Emerson Unitarian Church of Houston and All Souls Church Unitarian Universalist in The Woodlands, Texas. In addition, he was named emeritus fellow of Oxford University.

He was a prolific writer of books, pamphlets, and articles, including three books on English Unitarian history, and most recently, This Day in Unitarian Universalist History (Skinner House, 2004), a guide to historic dates and milestones in UU history. A popular speaker, he gave the Berry Street Lecture in 1981; the Minns Lectures in 1982; and the Billings Lecture in 1983. He also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Schulman is survived by his wife of 52 years, Alice Southworth Schulman, and three children. Together the Schulmans have committed at least $4.5 million from their estate to the UUA, the largest bequest in the Association's history.