Deceased January 3, 2022

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In Memory

James Roger Hull '59
James Roger Hull Jr. died peacefully on January 3, 2022, at the age of 84. Roger graduated from Amherst in 1959, where he played varsity hockey, was a member of Beta Theta Pi and was active in the Christian Association. Roger then attended Princeton Theological Seminary from 1961-64 and was ordained in the Presbyterian church shortly afterwards. From 1964-88, he served churches in the Bronx, Manhattan and San Francisco. Roger also earned his Master of Theology from Princeton in 1969 and his Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1984. 

From the beginning, Roger’s ministry was characterized by a deep commitment to social justice and outreach to the marginalized. In his first parish in the Bronx, he was instrumental in integrating the Parkchester Housing Development where he lived. While serving Broadway Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, Roger initiated new outreach to students, to the elderly and to neighborhood youth. During his tenure at Old First Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, Roger was a catalyst for founding Larkin Street Youth Services, a multifaceted nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness.  

Following a serious illness in 1987, Roger decided to change career paths and move to Sonoma County, California. He joined forces with a seminary classmate whose family owned Field Stone Winery in Healdsburg, California, and worked as Field Stone’s sales manager until his retirement in 2002. In his new life in Sonoma County, Roger remained connected to the Presbyterian church, helping found Windsor Presbyterian Church in 1990 and serving as parish associate there until 2015. Roger also loved serving for many years as a board member and then board chair of the Alliance Medical Center in Healdsburg, a federally funded community clinic serving mostly un- or under-insured farmworkers and families in northern Sonoma County.

Amherst held a very special place in Roger’s heart. He served as a class agent for several years and hosted numerous pre-reunion gatherings at his home in Healdsburg and at Field Stone. In honor of his 50th Reunion, Roger had a special Field Stone label made. As his daughters and wife can attest to, Roger loved singing “Lord Jeffery Amherst” throughout his life—even (or especially!) after one of his daughters attended Williams. 

Roger and his wife of 54 years, Judy Hull, moved to University Retirement Community in Davis, California, in 2015. Roger is survived by his wife, Judy; his daughters; sons-in-law; and grandchildren: Deborah Hull ’91 and Rosalie and Annalisa Koren of Baltimore, Maryland; Abigail, P. T., Sam and Tom Koenig of Davis, California; and Hannah, Tim, Peter and Claire Burbery of Huntington, West Virginia; his sister and brother-in-law, Rosemary and David Mace ’60 of Darien, Connecticut; and his brother-in-law, David Hall of Valencia, Pennsylvania, and his many beloved nieces and nephews. Roger also leaves behind a large and extraordinary circle of friends, whose love and steadfastness through thick and thin serve as a remarkable testimony to the beauty and sustaining power of friendship. 

Paul Dodyk ’59