The Reverend Dr. Bob West—parish minister whose career was unforgettably defined by his presidency of the UUA (1969–77)—died on 27 September 2017, aged 88.
Mr. West’s UUA presidency began at a time of great turmoil, with deep division over Black empowerment and the Vietnam War, and the UUA facing imminent bankruptcy. Though he faced painful and often resented decisions, Mr. West succeeded in eliminating the UUA’s debt within four years. “His conduct under fire was often heroic,” recalled the Rev’d Dr. John Buehrens, “but largely thankless.” Yet, he oversaw the development of the UUA’s ground-breaking sexuality program, created the Office of Gay Concerns, and, most boldly, supported Beacon Press’s publication of the Pentagon Papers.
Robert Nelson West was born on 28 January 1929 in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Samuel Washington West and Mary Evelyn Wells West. He served in the U.S. Navy (1946–48) and then was graduated from Lynchburg College in 1950 with a B.A. in English—originally hoping to become a poet. But heeding a call to ministry, Bob earned his M.Div. from Starr King School in 1957. Later he would twice receive a D.D.—one from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1970 and another from his undergraduate alma mater, Lynchburg College, VA, in 2013.
Mr. West was ordained on 21 October 1957 by the Tennessee Valley Unitarian (now UU) Church in Knoxville, TN, serving there for six years, followed by another settlement (1963–69) at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, NY. Then at the 1969 General Assembly, from a contentious field of seven candidates, the Rev’d Mr. West was elected the 2nd president of the UUA. After his presidency, he left ministry for the fields of finance and law. He was later seen as an “unsung hero” and in 2004 received the UUA’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of UUism.
At his death, Bob West was survived by children Robert Jr., Charles, Thomas, and Mary Catherine, grandchildren Lila, George, Lily and Oliver, great grandchild Phoebe, and sister Rilla Krebbs. His wife of 65 years, Nancy, had died the previous year. A memorial service was scheduled for 11 November 2017 at the First Church in Boston.