In Memoriam: David Lochhead

Upon David Lochhead's untimely death on June 15, 1999, his friends and colleagues were moved to express their tributes to him in writing. Here are some of those tributes. If you would like your tribute added to this collection, click here.

Charles Henderson
Executive Director of the Association for Religion and Intellectual Life, Publisher of Cross Currents
My relationship with David began with the Ecunet anniversary meeting in Baltimore and continued in Vancouver. David was a pioneer in one of the most important developments of the late twentieth century: namely, the emergence of the internet as a place where religious community is formed. As the first theologian of cyberspace, he has earned a place, not yet fully recognized, in the history of the often troubled relationship between religion and technology. David's gift was to combine enthusiasm for and understanding of the new technology with an awareness of its dangers and potential for abuse.

David Scott
The William Meade Professor of Theology and Professr of Ethics, Virginia Theological Seminary
Regarding my acquaintance with David Lochhead, I met him at a 1988 conference held at the Vancouver School of Theology. The conference theme was contemporary culture and information technology; the title of his presentation was "The Magical Computer." I was very interested in his lecture and even more interested in the perspective he brought to contemporary changes in information technology. The perspective was the culturally formative impact of information technology in its religious dimensions.

Gordon Laird
I met David on the day he was being interviewed by the students for his position at the Vancouver School of Theology.  I sat near him, and I saw he was somewhat nervous in the setting, yet his answers were clear and concise.
After he came to VST we had some signficant moments, once when he was involved in organizing a conference at VST on "Canadian Theology" - again when he was personally helpful in a pastoral way when I was Chaplain for United Church students at VST.
Our paths crossed in Westminster Presbytery.  David was a faithful Presbyter and on the occasion I remember we had had a discussion in the Division of MPE which I chaired for Presbytery.  The private discussion in our committee was so far-reaching and interesting that I asked for time on the floor of Presbytery for the next month, with the request that six people from our Division have 5 minutes each to explain their passion.
David brought his early work on his Radio Shack computer, which was a program which classified all the famous writers and their views on Holy Scripture. After the presentation David gave me an inch-thick copy of the output of this program. I bought my IBM-PC in 1983, and soon David asked if I would like to buy a modem. What's a Modem and why would I want or need one?
I bought it anyway, and David and I tried connecting our computers to send information to each other.  It was much less effective than a phone call. In October, 1984 David asked me if I would like to be one of the original UCHUG members in a 4 month experience for the United Church. Sure! This marked the founding of UCHUG, the Small Computer Committee and was foundational in what became ECUNET.
We have collaborated ever since.

I lost my Brother, Doug in September, 1999.  I also realized, after the fact, that I had lost a Brother earlier on June 15, 1999.  Brother David Lochhead.