CV NEWS // Upon confirming its president emeritus was still alive after erroneous reports of his death, a non-denominational seminary in Massachusetts retracted its statement that he had died and apologized for sharing the misinformation.
Gordon Conwell Seminary president emeritus Dr. Walter Kaiser is 90 years old, retiring from his positions as professor and president of the seminary in 2005. Recently, false reports of Kasier’s passing spread at a business meeting, which prompted the university to take quick action “to honor him in a timely manner,” according to the Seminary’s statement.
However, on November 21, Gordon Conwell Seminary issued the following apology in a statement entitled “CORRECTION: Walter Kaiser Tribute:”
The information we received regarding the passing of our beloved president emeritus has proven, joyfully, to have been false. Dr. Walt Kaiser is alive and well, for which we rejoice! At the same time, we also extend our sincere regrets for the wrong information that has been spread through our website and social media. Members of our community heard this false report announced at a recent conference’s business meeting, and given Walt’s towering role in our institution’s history, we acted quickly, wanting to honor him in a timely manner.
We do not regret having honored him in this way, but rather that we contributed to the spread of this false information. Our president, Dr. Sunquist, has communicated to him directly, expressing our deepest apologies for the mistake and our warmest wishes to him and his wife Nancy for a blessed Thanksgiving, offering special praise for his unexpected “resurrection”!
May the Lord bless us with grace and peace as we celebrate this holiday of thanks.
Kaiser received a Bachelor of Arts in the Bible and Greek from Wheaton College and a Bachelor of Divinity in theological studies in 1958. He received his Doctorate in Mediterranean and Near Eastern studies in 1973.
Kaiser joined Gordon Conwell Seminary in 1993, receiving the title of Colman Mochler Professor of Old Testaments and serving as president until 2005.
Kaiser has also written several books, including A Biblical Approach to Personal Suffering, Hard Sayings of the Bible, Toward an Exegetical Theology, Toward an Old Testament Theology, and The Messiah in the Old Testament, among others.
