March 3, 2025
The AAR is saddened to share that former AAR president Martin E. Marty passed away on February 25, 2025. His contributions to the public understanding of religion are vast and we celebrate them each year with our Marty Award.
From the obituary:
“Marty received numerous awards in life, including more than 80 honorary degrees, the National Book Award (1972), the Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1995), and the National Medal for the Humanities (1997). He served on two presidential commissions, as president of multiple scholarly societies, and on numerous boards, including as a regent, board chair, and interim president of St. Olaf College. Marty’s greatest professional happiness, however, was being a teacher, mentoring and learning from students of all walks of life.
Much of his life’s work involved framing into historical context the changes in 20th-century American religious practice. In 1964 he spent six weeks as an invited Protestant observer at Vatican II in Rome. His unwavering support of the civil rights movement, including marching in Selma in 1965, modeled for family and friends a lifelong commitment to justice and the dignity of every person.”
Read more about Marty’s life.