Rebecca Alpert Jim Biechler Marcus Braybrooke Ellen T. Charry Leobard D'Souza David Efroymson Gabriele Feyler Stefan Feyler Eugene Fisher Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer Krystina Gorniak-Kocikowska Yitz Greenberg Wan-Li Ho Sanaullah Kirmani Reinhard Kirste Hans Küng Lihua Liu Jack Malinowski Patricia Martinez Sergio Mazza Alan Mittleman Ronald Modras Paul Mojzes Malcolm Nazareth Angelika Quade Ida Raming Virginia Kaib Ratigan John Sahadat Simone Schaupp Ingrid Shafer Shu-hsien Liu Thomas Thompson Catherine Berry Stidsen

Jack Malinowski I first met Len and Arlene Anderson Swidler in 1962 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. As a History Major and a budding lay Catholic activist, I learned that Len and Andy were the people to know (and learn from). One seminarian referred to them as two of the brightest and best-connected Catholic scholars in the city. They were at the center of the dynamic energy flowing from Vatican II, not only around the Catholic world but in the emergence of ecumenical awareness and vibrant interchurch dialogue. If you were lucky enough to get invited to one of the pre-JES seminars that Len arranged,* you experienced some of the great pioneers of ecumenism. On a weekly basis, Len would host people like Heiko Obermann, George Tavard, Kristen Stendahl, Bernard Haring, HA Reinhold, Alexander Schmeman, Bede Griffiths, Franklin Littell, W.F. Albright, Robert McAffee Brown, John J. Wright - the imperious RC bishop of PGH, and Hans Kung. Most dramatically Len Swidler led the effort to bring "that European radical," Hans Kung, to Duquesne University for a major public address that drew thousands. There were numerous places around the US that wouldn't tolerate a visit from the seemingly notorious Swiss theologian, but Len was undaunted. During those heady days of hope, reform and renewal, the Swidlers were never far from the "social gospel" dimensions of their faith and practice. It was Andie/Arlene who first informed me of the importance of the Women's Movement as a human rights struggle within and beyond the Roman Church. She was an early member of the National Organization for Women (NOW). This was a few years before Len's famous essay, "Jesus Was A Feminist" appeared in print. One of my earliest memories of Len speaking to the wider community was at an anti-apartheid rally in a Pittsburgh neighborhood. He pointed persuasively to the link between segregated housing in Pennsylvania and racial oppression in South Africa. On another occasion, Len spoke powerfully against the repressive and anti-democratic tactics in hearings conducted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The Swindlers' home in Pittsburgh was a place to meet foreign students and other interesting scholars, especially around holidays. You could always count on having your intellectual and political horizons lifted around the Swidler family, whether it be from Arlene or Len razor-sharp minds or via the wonderfully precocious charm and energy of their daughters, Carmel and Eva. I eventually followed Len to Temple University, joining an early wave of grad students who embraced the study of religion and theology beyond the confines of any one tradition, but offering richness and depth to all. Needless to say, some of us also entered into the frustrating world of Philadelphia Catholicism, a maze that Len and Arlene managed to navigate better than most. As the historical record record will show, the JES thrived within Temple's pluralistic and urban context, widening its scope and significance. I'm sure I didn't turn out exactly as Len intended, ** but I hope he knows, and Arlene knew, what value they brought to my life as mentors and friends. I consider knowing them one of high water marks of my life. * (with Co-Editor, Elwyn Smith) at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, **, i.e. ABD

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