Thursday, February 26, 2009
Martin Gilman 1915-2009
We give thanks for the faithful life of Martin Gilman, who died on Thursday, February 26, 2009 in Lexington, Massachusetts. We hold his wife Mildred and sons Edward and Peter in our prayers. A worship service to remember Martin took place on Tuesday, March 3. See Martin's page of the UniLu website for more information, and share your reflections and memories of Martin's life here.
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Martin and Mildred invited me to dinner during my years as an M.Div. student at UniLu. Their sense of friendship across generations is a rare gift that modeled community so profoundly to me. Martin's particular brand of curiousity also always kept me on my toes as a preacher: "I understand what you were telling me this morning," he would say. "But you see, it's so hard to LIVE IT OUT." May Martin's living out of the Gospel find its fullest expression in God's tender care. May Mildred, Edward, and Peter be surrounded by a community that embodies that same care.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine UniLu without Martin Gilman -- he's always been there. I was 4 years old when I was parked at the Gilman home while mysterious things were occurring at 338 Harvard St.; he was instrumental in purchasing that home for 10 rambunctious Horns; he was a support for my father during 25 years of ministry and also for Dad (and Mom) during retirement. I gave him a strong hug the last time I visited UniLu and although he said, "I'm not the hugging kind", he didn't shrink from it.
ReplyDeleteHis length of service and devotion to the church will never be equaled .... we are all the richer for his presence in our lives.
My sympathy to Millie, Ed, and Peter. You are in my thoughts.
Marguerite Horn
Martin was one of the first people I met when I came to UniLu in 1960, a dislocated Presbyterian graduate student looking for a new church home near Harvard. He helped me to fit in and meet other people without intruding on my personal space -- not an easy thing to do. Working with Martin over the years I was often struck by his ability to take strong positions on important issues and then work hard regardless of how the decision went. To me he came to personify the strong, flexible, loving spirit of UniLu. God bless his memory.
ReplyDeleteMartin left me with two things. The first is a pile of old minutes & other materials from the Synod's Campus Ministry Committee, which he chaired in the late 80s & early 90s and I took over in 1998. In addition to being a good piece of history I also realized how much some things don't change. We seemed to be dealing with many of the same issues the committee faced 20 years ago!
ReplyDeleteThe second was a history of the bell at UniLu (a one-pager entitled "Tintinnabulation - The Ringing of the Bells.") When the new church building was being planned in the 1940s, it was Martin's idea to have a bell in the tower. New bells were prohibitively expensive, but he managed to locate a bell in an old chapel on the Cape. He rented a truck, wrestled the bell (it weighs 700 pounds!) back to his place, kept it there a few years until the church was ready, and then managed to get it hoisted into the tower with a crane. Martin rang the bell on the church's dedication in April 1951.
By the way, Martin also mentioned to me that the proper number of rings at the beginning of the service is nine. I'm not sure why, but it does feel right. On the Sunday after he passed a way, a 10th ring inadvertently escaped when I rang the bell. I figure that was an extra one for Martin.
Chris Porter
Dear Mildred and family,
ReplyDeleteWhat awesome footprints you and Martin have left on University Lutheran Church pathways over the years. You have served as models for lives well lived and you have carried the name of our Lord forward in quiet, winsome ways. Your friendship was precious to hundreds of students, and we hope we have honored your counsel in our own lives. Our sympathy reaches out to you as I note in THE INKSPOT Martin's death last February.
All best wishes,
Jerry H. Miller Harvard '53