The class and country lost one of its great voices for justice, decency, and humanity when Guthrie died April 17, 2011, in Boston.
After graduating from The Hill School and serving in the Navy, Guthrie majored in history at Princeton, chaired the Christian Youth Fellowship, served on the Undergraduate Council, and belonged to Quadrangle.
He followed his father, T. Guthrie Speers 1912, into the ministry, graduating from Union Theological Seminary in 1953. While at his first church in New York, he met Susan Savage, whom he married in 1955. In 1956, he started a church in New Canaan, Conn., which flourished under his 36-year ministry and community outreach.
An engaged minister and vibrant preacher, Guthrie was deeply involved in social issues, joining the marches in Washington and Selma, advocating for civil and women’s rights, speaking against the Vietnam War, and pushing for equal rights for gays. For 20 years he headed the Princeton-Blairstown Center board.
During summers and retirement in New Hampshire, he loved climbing mountains and playing the violin. He continued to preach through last summer. In his last years he also found a new ministry and energy in the Twelve-Step Program.
Our sympathy goes to Susan (one of the first two female trustees at Princeton); his children, Will ’79, Thomas, Sam ’82, and Elizabeth; and eight grandchildren.