Eugene Arthur TeSelle, Jr.

Nashville - Eugene A. TeSelle, Jr.,born in Ames, Iowa, August 8, 1931, son of Eugene and Hildegarde TeSelle.

He is survived by his wife Penny , sister Ellen Boal(Dean), children, Elizabeth TeSelle, John TeSelle(Maria), stepsons William Peatman (Sue), James Peatman(Vivi), and Thomas Peatman (Jennifer), and nine grandchildren.

He graduated from the University of Colorado, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Yale University.

Served for three years as assistant minister of the First Presbyterian Church, East Orange, New Jersey, then went to Yale for graduate study. He taught at Yale in the Department of Religious Studies (1962-69), then came to the Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1969, where he taught until he retired in 1999. At Vanderbilt he chaired several Divinity School and University committees and was President of the Faculty Senate in 1993-94. He received the Jefferson Award for service "in the councils of the university" in 1996.

He often commented that in Nashville he had three quite distinct public roles, in addition to his private roles as husband, parent, and handyman.

As "Professor Eugene TeSelle" he taught a variety of courses in Church History and Theology, publishing a number of books in the history of Christian thought, especially on Augustine.

As "Reverend Eugene TeSelle" he was a minister in the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He also served on several national committees. He was an active member of the Witherspoon Society (now Presbyterian Voices for Justice), which was concerned with justice issues in church and society, serving as Issues Analyst and as President.

As "Citizen Gene TeSelle" he was involved in various local issues, especially in neighborhoods and housing. He was one of the founders of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors and the Nashville Neighborhood Alliance. He served on the boards of the Nashville Housing Fund and Affordable Housing Resources. He was also one of the founders of the statewide organization TAP (Tennessee Alliance for Progress).

Funeral services will be held at Second Presbyterian Church March 17, 2018 at 10am with visitation following the service.

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Published by Tennessean on Mar. 11, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for Eugene TeSelle

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4 Entries

Sandra Tulchinsky

March 20, 2018

I became aware of Vanderbilt's GDR program because of a mutual friend. I was accepted to the graduate program because of Gene's personal recommendation. I never took classes from him, but chats with Gene taught me in ways that have guided me throughout my life. Gene was a historian who helped shape the personal histories of many. zikhrono livrakha -"May his memory be a blessing."

BHN

March 15, 2018

Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc. offers our deepest gratitude for the dedication Gene had for our community. We will carry on the lessons he taught and the vision he expressed.

Gene Kelly

March 13, 2018

When I served with Gene on the Board of the Nashville Peace & Justice Center, I would refer to him as "Gene The Greater." He remains an inspiration and reminds me to hold to my convictions.

Wendy Farley

March 12, 2018

I was a student of Gene in the 1980s. I remember his deep learning and his willingness to talk to me at length about whatever questions I had or ideas I was struggling to formulate. He was always very kind and helpful. I learned so much from him. I also remember a different kind of learning from him - I admired very much his dedication to social justice. I remember him standing every week to protest the US support of wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua. I remember his encouragement when I was so down when Reagan was re-elected. I am grateful for his model of the scholar-activist and his commitment even when things were pretty discouraging. Those have been good lessons, not least in our present moment. I feel lucky to have been able to study with him. Wendy Farley

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