Richard Thomas Nolan

Richard Thomas Nolan (born May 30, 1937, Waltham, Massachusetts) was a canon of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut and a former college professor of philosophy and religious studies. He is the editor/coauthor of The Diaconate Now (Corpus-World, 1968), and coauthor of Living Issues In Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 1995), Living Issues in Ethics (Wadsworth 1982 and iUniverse 2000), and Soul Mates: More than Partners (online, 2004). Nolan is also the editor of a non-commercial, educational website: philosophy-religion.org. His books have been translated into several languages, including Indonesian and Chinese.

Education and professional career Richard Nolan is a 1954 alumnus of the Boston Latin School; he then enrolled at The Tabor Academy in Marion, MA. Nolan received his bachelor's degree from Trinity College in 1960. Following his graduation from Trinity, Nolan continued his studies in divinity at Hartford Seminary, receiving his Masters in Divinity in 1963. During his time at Hartford Seminary, he also held his first position as an instructor in Latin and English at Watkinson School in Hartford, CT. He was ordained a priest in June 1965 at St. John's, in Arlington, MA. That same year, Nolan accepted a position as an instructor of philosophy and education at the Hartford Seminary Foundation, and in 1968 was promoted to the position of Assistant Academic Dean.

Nolan continued to expand his responsibilities; in 1969 he accepted a position as an instructor at the Mattatuck Community College in Waterbury, CT. Meanwhile, Nolan was completing his Ph.D. studies at New York University, where he was granted a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion in 1973. Nolan remained an instructor at Mattatuck for many years, becoming an associate professor in 1974, and a full professor of philosophy and social sciences in 1978. He held his post at Mattatuck until 1992. He also holds posts as pastor emeritus for St. Paul's Parish, in Bantam, CT (since 1988), and recommended by Yale University and several other colleges and universities in the United States and beyond.

Personal life While attending Trinity College (Connecticut) in 1955, Nolan met his life partner, Robert C. Pingpank. Throughout their lives, they were forced to hide their relationship due to the potential of losing their jobs. During a career change for both in 1967, the couple finally moved in together into a unique two-family house designed by Pingpank, so that they could live together, yet maintain separate addresses and phones. This allowed them to maintain their relationship while avoiding challenges to their careers; they lived in this home until their retirement in 1994, when they moved to Florida. The couple has been profiled by The LGBT Religious Archives Network, and the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (a recently established center of the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California).

Richard Nolan and Robert Pingpank were married legally at age 72 on June 4, 2009, in the Trinity College Chapel, Hartford, CT. Nolan and Pingpank reside in the John Knox Village (a continuing care retirement community), Pompano Beach, FL, and are active in Lambda Legal and Integrity Palm Beach.

Works The Significance of the Religious Thought of Edmond La B. Cherbonnier for a Basic Objective for Religious Education, Dissertation, New York University, 1973.