David Turnbloom, theology, has been announced as the recipient of the Arnold L. and Lois S. Graves Award in the Humanities. Administered by Pomona College under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, the Graves Award is awarded every two years to humanities professors in their first decade of teaching who demonstrate unusual skill and enthusiasm as teachers and who can show that their projects will enhance their ability in the classroom.
Turnbloom’s project will study the published journals and letters of Esther Hillesum, a Dutch woman who was murdered in Auschwitz in 1943. The project will allow him to connect his expertise in Augustine Studies with the newly emerged field of Hillesum Studies to interrogate how Hillesum’s writing are influenced by and lend new shape to the writing of St. Augustine. Beyond publishing an article on exploring Hillesum’s reception of St. Augustine, Turnbloom’s project will allow him to encounter Hillesum’s work through interpersonal connections and personal experiences.
This latest award continues a history of UP Graves Award recipients: Herman Asarnow, emeritus, English; Richard Askay, philosophy; Laura McLary, German; Alejandro Santana, philosophy; Patrick Murphy, music; Alexandra Hill, German; and Joshua Swidzinski, English.
In this 10-minute 
The next Theology Thursday lecture will feature David Turnbloom, theology, as he presents “Sacramental Justice and the Mission of Holy Cross” on Thursday, September 19, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Turnbloom will examine the relationship between sacraments and justice using the constitution of the Congregation of Holy Cross as a guide.
Dundon-Berchtold fellows David Turnbloom, theology, and student Jonathan Wiley will present “Formed in the Dirt: The Ritual of Archaeology” on Tuesday, January 30, at 7:15 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Terrace Room. Turnbloom and Wiley will discuss whether scientific research is a ritual, what effects research and ritual have on those who practice them, and their roles in the mission of the University of Portland. The talk is sponsored by the Dundon-Berchtold Institute and the UP Pollentia undergraduate research expedition.