(pronounced "Bo-Dro")
Don was born and raised in Washington, DC, although his maternal roots are pure Evangelical and United Brethren/Appalachian, and his paternal ones pure Catholic/New England-French Canadian. His parents compromised by raising their children in the Disciples of Christ Church. When he was seventeen, however, he discovered All Soul's UU Church in Washington. Ten years later he studied for the UU ministry and was ordained in 1979.
Previous to that, he was a teacher in the Philippines, where he served in the US Peace Corps; in Iran, where he worked training helicopter pilots; and in American Samoa, where he taught music.
Now in his 31st year of ministry, Don has served UU churches in New Orleans, Sacramento, Rancho Palos Verdes (CA), Charleston (WV), Oak Ridge (interim minister), Sarasota, England (consulting minister for 7 churches), Palatine (Chicago, interim minister), and Norfolk. In addition, he has served the cause of Unitarian Universalism in The Philippines, The Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia (Adelaide).
Don has served on UU national and district-wide committees, including the UU Service Committee national board, the US Chapter of the International Association for Freedom (president), the Black Concerns Working Group, and the UUA President's Council.
He holds academic degrees from Lafayette College, the University of Michigan, Pacific School of Religion, and Starr King Seminary. In addition, he has trained as a chaplain (advanced standing), studying in the Clinical Pastoral Education program at UCLA and other institutions.
His poetic and prose writings have appeared in newspapers, journals, and books. Known as a jazz pianist, he has performed numerous concerts for charitable causes. As a competitive long-distance runner, he has raised money for Childhood Leukemia research.
Don is an openly gay parent of two adult daughters. Claire works in NYC as an artist representative and plays drums in an all-female rock band; Therese will be attending law school in Washington, D.C. this fall and runs long-distance races.
His partner, Juan Rivera, is from Guadalajara, Mexico and is a fabulous artist. Their dog, Lacy, is a Rhodesian Ridgeback-mix, a gift to all creation!
Don describes his theological perspective as "mystical humanist" and says of his concept of ministry: "I serve a church. I do not work for it. Ministry for me is a calling, not a job. The classical word "vocare" - meaning to be called to a higher purpose - is essential to my understanding of what I do as a religious professional. This higher purpose assumes that life is an ongoing challenge toward achieving wholeness, one that is both joyous and tragic. I am called to help fashion that process of growth for others, and in that process, to grow as well.
"Ministry for me, then, implies mutuality between the minister and the congregation, where each gives and receives the bounty of the human experience; where each is called to that higher purpose of striving for wholeness."
We are delighted to have Don, Juan, and Lacy with us.