Dale C. Goldsmith ’59

Dale died Jan. 16, 2026. He was an educator, minister, scholar, author, lifelong teacher, and pastor with a life devoted to learning and mentoring students and engaging his church with honesty.

Raised in Chicago, Dale graduated as valedictorian of Schurz High School, where he was a cellist and a city cross-country champion. At Princeton, he distinguished himself both academically and in campus life. He ran cross country, participated in musical theater as a composer and touring musician with the Triangle Club, and played a leading role in the founding of Wilson Lodge, the alternate dining facility for undergraduates. Graduating summa cum laude in religion he earned the Rockefeller Theology Scholarship and the prestigious Potts Bible Prize.

Following Princeton, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Chicago, where he met and married Catherine Mae Choguill in 1959. He served with the American Baptist Convention, lecturing in Spanish at the Seminario Bautista de México. Returning to the United States, he taught philosophy, religion, and theology at several colleges and universities, including McPherson College in Kansas, where he served as academic dean, mentor to generations of students, and became emeritus professor of religion. Ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1985, Dale served rural congregations in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Dale is survived by his wife, Catherine; his children, John, Katherine, and Joy; his brother; and several other relatives.