Richard Thomas Nolan (born May 30, 1937,
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...
; dual citizenship in the Republic of Ireland, 2011) was a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
and a former college professor of
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and
religious studies
Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...
. He is the editor/coauthor of ''The Diaconate Now'' (Corpus-World, 1968), and coauthor of ''Living Issues In Philosophy'' (Oxford University Press, 1995), ''Living Issues in Ethics'' (Wadsworth 1982 and iUniverse 2000), and ''Soul Mates: More than Partners'' (online, 2004). Nolan is also the editor of a non-commercial,
educational website
Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and Education sciences, educational theory and practice to facilitate learning and teaching. When referred to with its abbr ...
: philosophy-religion.org. His books have been translated into several languages, including
Indonesian and
Chinese.
Education and professional career
Richard Nolan is a 1954 alumnus of the
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a Magnet school, magnet Latin schools, Latin Grammar schools, grammar State school, state school in Boston, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous operation since it was established on April 23, 1635. It is the old ...
; he then enrolled at The
Tabor Academy in
Marion, MA. Nolan received his bachelor's degree from
Trinity College in 1960. Following his graduation from Trinity, Nolan continued his studies in divinity at
Hartford Seminary
The Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary) is a private theological university in Hartford, Connecticut.
History
Hartford Seminary's origins date back to 1833 when the Pastoral Union of Connecti ...
, receiving his Masters in Divinity in 1963.
During his time at Hartford Seminary, he also held his first position as an instructor in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and
English at
Watkinson School in
Hartford, CT
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...
.
Shortly after completing his studies at Hartford, he was ordained a deacon at Christ Church in June 1963 in
Waltham, MA. He was ordained a priest in June 1965 at St. John's, in
Arlington, MA.
Nolan received his master's in Religion from the
Yale University Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregational church, Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the pr ...
in 1967; during his studies, he was also an instructor in math and religion, and associate chaplain at the
Cheshire Academy
Cheshire Academy is a co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United States. In 1917, th ...
from 1965 to 1967.
That same year, Nolan accepted a position as an instructor of philosophy and education at the Hartford Seminary Foundation, and in 1968 was promoted to the position of Assistant Academic Dean.
Nolan continued to expand his responsibilities; in 1969 he accepted a position as an instructor at the Mattatuck Community College in Waterbury, CT. Meanwhile, Nolan was completing his Ph.D. studies at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, where he was granted a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion in 1973. Nolan remained an instructor at Mattatuck for many years, becoming an associate professor in 1974, and a full professor of philosophy and social sciences in 1978. He held his post at Mattatuck until 1992.
In the intervening years, Dr. Nolan also held adjunct and/or visiting professor positions at
Trinity College,
Long Island University
Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...
, the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
, St. Joseph College,
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...
, and many others.
Nolan continued teaching at the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
, Hartford Graduate Center, and
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut's oldest publi ...
until he retired in 1994.
Despite retirement, he continued to teach part-time at
Broward Community College,
Barry University
Barry University is a private Catholic university in Miami Shores, Florida. Founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, it is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and is located within the Archdiocese of Miami.
Th ...
,
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...
, and
Palm Beach Community College as recently as 2002.
In 1992, Nolan was named a retired honorary canon for life at Christ Church Cathedral in
Hartford, CT
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...
.
He also holds posts as pastor emeritus for St. Paul's Parish, in Bantam, CT (since 1988),
member of the society of regents at Cathedral Church St. John the Divine (since 2002), retired priest-in-residence at St. Andrew's Church in
Lake Worth, FL (since 2002),
and professor emeritus at Mattatuck Community College, in
Waterbury, CT.
Nolan has been the author and editor on numerous books, including ''The Diaconate Now'' (Corpus-World, 1968), ''Living Issues in Philosophy'' (Oxford University Press, 1995), and ''Living Issues in Ethics'' (Wadsworth 1982 and iUniverse 2000). His books have been translated into several languages, including
Indonesian and
Chinese. His online "Commentary on the Episcopal Prayer Book Catechism" has been translated int
Polish Since 2000, Nolan has been the editor of the websit
philosophy-religion.org a reference on philosophy and religion topics and papers, used internationally and recommended by
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
and several other colleges and universities in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and beyond.
Personal life
While attending
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Founded as Washington College in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut. Coeducational since 1969, the college enrolls 2,2 ...
in 1955, Nolan met his life partner, Robert C. Pingpank.
Throughout their lives, they were forced to hide their relationship due to the potential of losing their jobs.
During a career change for both in 1967, the couple finally moved in together into a unique two-family house designed by Pingpank, so that they could live together, yet maintain separate addresses and phones.
This allowed them to maintain their relationship while avoiding challenges to their careers; they lived in this home until their retirement in 1994, when they moved to Florida. The couple has been profiled by The LGBT Religious Archives Network,
and the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (a recently established center of the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California).
Richard Nolan and Robert Pingpank were married legally at age 72 on June 4, 2009, in the
Trinity College Chapel,
Hartford, CT
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...
.
Nolan and Pingpank reside in the John Knox Village (a continuing care retirement community),
Pompano Beach, FL, and are active in
Lambda Legal
The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) communities as well as people living with HIV/AIDS ( PWAs) throug ...
and Integrity Palm Beach.
Works
*''The Significance of the Religious Thought of Edmond La B. Cherbonnier for a Basic Objective for Religious Education'', Dissertation, New York University, 1973.
*
*
*
*
References
External links
Philosophy and ReligionIntegrity Palm Beach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Richard Thomas
1937 births
2020 deaths
20th-century American Episcopal priests
21st-century American Episcopal priests
21st-century American philosophers
American religion academics
Boston Latin School alumni
Hartford Seminary alumni
Hartford Seminary faculty
Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
Yale Divinity School alumni
New York University alumni
LGBTQ Anglican clergy
American gay writers
Central Connecticut State University faculty
Tabor Academy (Massachusetts) alumni
People from Waltham, Massachusetts