Editorial
Professor Harlan Beckley made a profound impact on the lives of his students and colleagues at Washington and Lee University and, more broadly, on society in general, well beyond campus. As founding director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at W&L, Beckley led efforts to delve into the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality while seeking to find solutions to these most vexing of societal issues. These solutions he helped put into action.
Beckley, who died last Tuesday, Oct. 21, at age 81, was the Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion Emeritus. He taught for decades at W&L, and his longtime tenure at the university even included a stint as interim president. An ordained Methodist minister, he taught Sunday school at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lexington and, years ago, served as minister for three different churches in Kingston Springs, Tenn., while pursuing his graduate studies.
Specializing in Christianity and ethics, Beckley taught courses on the Bible, Christian historical theology, contemporary theology and ethics, economic ethics and business ethics. In the 1990s, Beckley crossed paths with Tom Shepherd, a 1952 graduate of W&L and a member of the university’s board of trustees. Beckley shared with Shepherd an idea he had for creating an interdisciplinary program at W&L that would “tackle … the questions of poverty through coursework and community engagement.”* Shepherd agreed to fund a pilot program that would carry out this mission for six years. Launched in 1997, the program’s success allowed it to last well beyond the initial period. Twentyeight years later, the program is flourishing, having spawned multiple other initiatives that address the problems of poverty and inequality. In 2012, Beckley founded the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty that has spread the concepts to 16 other colleges and universities.
“Harlan had many gifts. One was the ability to see what others could not: a new approach to higher education that combines compassion and intellect to prepare students – whatever their backgrounds, majors, career paths or political perspectives – to address the problems associated with poverty and inequality. Another was the ability to work tirelessly with others to make that new approach a reality,” said Howard Pickett, current director of the Shepherd Program, professor of ethics and poverty studies and adjunct professor of law at W&L. “I feel surrounded by Harlan’s legacy all day every day – but never more than when a new student tells me Shepherd is the reason they chose W&L, or when an alum stops by … to tell me how Professor Beckley changed their lives.”
“The Shepherd Program expanded greatly over the years to include numerous co-curricular initiatives,” said Art Goldsmith, Jackson T. Stephens professor of economics. “These included a campus kitchen, after-school tutorial assistance, a backpack program to address community food insecurity over weekends, the Nabors Service League to assist local community service providers and Leading Edge (formerly Volunteer Venture). Whenever I asked Harlan about the state of the Shepherd Program, he would say – with great pride – ‘Look at what the students have added now.’” “As an applied religious ethicist, Harlan knew that making the world a better, more just place takes careful study, tireless collaboration and respect for the dignity of every person. But he also knew that it takes personal connections — something Harlan had in abundance,” said Pickett. “It sometimes seemed like he knew everyone. And if he didn’t know you, he would get to know you — and then surprise you by remembering your name whenever your paths crossed again.”
Pickett continued: “Thanks to his vision, energy and passion for justice, Harlan has left an impressive legacy. He has left W&L, Rockbridge County and every school that has joined the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty better than he found them.”
*Much of the information, including the quotes, used for this editorial came from a story published Oct. 27 by W&L’s office of communications and public affairs.
