Title: Donald F. Durnbaugh Papers
Administrative/Biographical History
Donald F. Durnbaugh was born in Detroit on November 16, 1927, and passed away in August 27, 2005. He lived in the Raystown Lake area with his family. He and his wide, Hedwig, had three children together. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from Manchester College and earned a masters in history from the University of Michigan. In 1960, he earned his doctorate in history from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1958 to 1963, he taught as an assistant professor at Juniata College, until he left to be associate professor of church history at Bethany Theological Seminary in 1962 until 1988. It was in 1969 that he began his tenure at Elizabethtown College as the first Carl W. Ziegler Professor of Religion and History. He began delivering public lectures in 1987, which would eventually become the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. He continued to present papers and lectures at academic conferences. He wrote hundreds of scholarly articles, and published or edited sixteen books, including Fruit of the Vine: A History of the Brethren. He was on the Brethren Enclyclopedia board and was also an active member of the American Society of Church History, the Brethren Journal Association, the Communcal Studies Association, the Pennsylvania German Society, and many more. Among many other awards, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2003 by Juniata College. From 1993 until soon before his death, Durnbaugh served as Juniata's archivist.
