Deere-Hester Lecture | Fred Sanders
Thursday, March 21, 2024, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Deere-Hester Lecture
Dr. Fred Sanders
Professor in the Torrey Honors College, Biola University
Deere-Hester Lecture Series
Dr. Derward W. Deere served as a Golden Gate Seminary professor of Old Testament from 1950 to 1968. Several years prior to his death, he received the inspiration to create a chair of Old Testament Interpretation at Golden Gate Seminary. He began an endowment fund for this purpose and gave to it generously. He also worked with many friends in trying to create a fully-endowed chair. Unfortunately, Deere did not live to see his dream realized.
For many years, the faculty at Golden Gate Seminary contributed to a Faculty Lectureship Fund. The amount had grown steadily and a name was needed for the fund. With the consent of Mrs. Deere and donors, a decision was made to combine Deere’s fund and the Faculty Lectureship Fund to provide for the annual Derward W. Deere Lectureship.
The Hester Lectureship, also hosted for many years by Gateway, was sponsored by an endowment created in 1969, by the late Dr. H.I. Hester, a long-time professor of Bible and head of the department of religion at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. Initially it was dedicated to promote the “effective teaching of the gospel."
In 2019, the Seminary received authorization to merge the Deere and Hester lectureships into a single, annual event featuring presentations focused on biblical/theological insights and the application of these to the Christian community. The funding for the Deere-Hester Lecture is ongoing, and donors are invited to participate in this memorial to these beloved professors.