Annual Thanksgiving Celebration Speakers

A full list of speakers (since the beginning) can be found on this page.

YEAR	NAME	ORGANIZATION	PRESENTATION TITLE
2020	Najeeba Sayeed	Chicago Theological Seminary	Angelic Troublemakers: Interfaith Collaboration in Human Rights
2019	Rev. Maurice Charles	Rockefeller Chapel	Grateful Service
2018	Elizabeth Davenport	Rockefeller Chapel	Listen to them Grow
2017	Eboo Patel	Interfaith Youth Core	Sacred Ground: Prejudice, Pluralism and the Promise of America
2016	Dr. Robert Henderson	Baha’i Community
2015	Rabbi Frederick Reeves	KAM Isaiah Israel	Authentic Voices in Respectful Multicultural Settings
2014	Dr. JoAnne Marie Terrell	Chicago Theological Seminary	The Gift of Each Other
2013	Taigen Dan Leighton	Ancient Dragon Zen Gate	The Synergy of Thanksgiving
2012	Rev. Freddy Washington	St. Ambrose Catholic Church
2011	Rev. Shanta Premawardana	Urban Pastoral Education
2010	Rev. Celeste A. Frazier	Power of Oneness Spiritual Ctr	More than Meets the Eye
2009	Rabbi Batsheva Appel	KAM Isaiah Israel	Serving God with Gladness
2008	Rev. Deborah Derylak	Spiritual Care, U of C Hospitals	Seeds of Hope and Change
2007	Ken Dunn	Resource Center
2006	Rev. Calvin Morris	Community Renewal Society
2005	Rev. Leroy Sanders	Kenwood UCC
2004	Eboo Patel	Interfaith Youth Core	Saving Others, Saving Ourselves
2003	Rev. Daphne Burt	Rockefeller Chapel	Love One Another
2002	Rev. Nina Grey	First Unitarian Universalist	Our World is One World
2001	Rabbi Elliot Gertel	Rodfei Zedek
2000	Swami Varadananda	Vivekananda Vedanta Society
1999	Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Jr.	Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken
1998	Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite	President, CTS
1997	Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf	KAM Isaiah Israel
1995	Father Jack Ferry	St. Thomas the Apostle
1994	Dean Bernard O. Brown	Rockefeller Chapel	Always having before our eyes our… Community
1993	Rabbi Daniel I. Leifer	Hillel Jewish Center	Giving Thanks: Keeping Company with Jacob on the road to Israel
1992	Rev. David Ramage	Cn. Parl. of the World’s Religions	Looking for a Rainbow!
1991	Father John Boyle	Archdiocese of Chicago	Living Thanks
1990	Thomas Chulak	Unitarian Universalist Assn.	Thanks Giving
1989	Rev. Susan B.W. Johnson	Hyde Park Union Church	Yet Shall We Tread Upon High Places
1986	Susan Lockwood Wright	Cornell Baptist Church	Remembering Where We Came From
1985	Dean W. Clark Gilpin	U of C Divinity School	Quiet Revolutions
1984	Vernon Kurtz	N. Suburban Synagogue Beth El
1983	Dean Bernard O. Brown	Rockefeller Chapel	Connections
1982	C. Harvey Lord	Villa Park Christian Church	Our American Experience of Grace
1981	Joseph Stitler	U of C Divinity School	Reflections on Being Thankful
1977	Rev. Charles Shelby Rooks	President, CTS
1976	Rev. Gordon A. Humphrey	Shiloh Missionary Baptist Ch.
1975	Rev. Emery A. Percell	United Methodist Church
1974	Jack Mendelsohn	First Unitarian Church
1973	Rabbi Philip N. Kranz	Temple Sinai
1971	Rev. James V. Lyles	United Methodist Church
1969	Rev. Thomas J. Fitzgerald	St. Thomas the Apostle
1968	Rev. Edgar H.S. Chandler	Church Federation of Gtr. Chicago	The Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
1967	Rabbi Hayim Goren Perelmuter	KAM Isaiah Israel
1966	Rev. Jack A. Kent	First Unitarian Church
1965	Rev. Joseph  A. Buckles	Hyde Park Methodist Church
1964	Rabbi Ralph Simon	Rodfei Zedek	What is an Authentic Thanksgiving?
1963	Rev. Samuel L. Gandy	Kenwood Ellis United Ch. Of Chr.	Covenant and Renewal
1962	Rabbi Samuel E. Karff	Sinai Temple	The Grounds for Gratitude
1961	Rev. Keith L. Pearson	Augustana Lutheran Church	Thanksgiving: Symptom or Symbol
1960	Rabbi Bernard Martin	Sinai Temple	The Grateful Heart
1959	Dean E. Spencer Parsons	Dean of Rockefeller Chapel	The Grace of Gratitude
1958	Rev. David Bryan		Lest We Forget
1957	Rabbi Hayim Goren Perelmuter	KAM Isaiah Israel	Thanksgiving Formula: Gratitude Plus Attitude
1956	Rev. W. Douglas Larson	Augustana Lutheran Church	In Community We Thank
1955	Rev. William D. McLean Jr.	St. Michael’s Episcopal Church	The Grace of Gratitude
1954	Rabbi Jacob Weinstein	Kehilath Anshe Maariv	Thanksgiving: For What and To Whom?
1953	Rev. E. Jerry Walker		For This, We Are Thankful
1952	Rev. Paul L. Higgins
1951	Rabbi Ralph Simon	Rodfei Zedek
1949	Rev. Wallace W. Robbins		The Liberty to be Thankful
1948	Rabbi Louis L. Mann		When Other Virtues Cease
1947	Rev. Jitsuo Morikawa		A Dangerous Trust
1946	Rabbi Jacob Weinstein	Kehilath Anshe Maariv
1945	Rev. F. R. Steiger	First Baptist Church
1944	Rev. Leslie T. Pennington	First Unitarian Church
1943	Lieutenant Julius Mark	USNR Great Lakes Naval Tr.
1942	Rev. Irvin E. Lunger	Univ. Ch. Disciples of Christ
1941	Rabbi Morton M. Berman		Values that Cannot Fall
1940	Rev. J. Richard Drees	Hyde Park Methodist Church	A Thanksgiving Pastorale
1939	Rev. Thomas W. Pender	St. James Methodist Episcopal	Thank God and Take Courage
1938	Rev. George M. Gibson	United Church of Hyde Park	The Ancient Faith and the Modern Mood
1937	Rabbi Joshua Loth Liebman		A Threefold Faith for a Confused World
1936	Rev. F.C. Benson Bells		Trust in God
1935	Rev. Thomas W. Pender	St. James Methodist Episcopal	The Guidance of God
1934	Rabbi Gerson B. Levi		The Thanksgiving of the Spirit
1932	Rev. Norris L. Tibbits		In God We Trust
1931	Rev. Douglas Horton	United Church	The Dimensions of Thanksgiving
1930	Rev. Albert W. Palmer	President, CTS	How Far Right Were the Puritans?
1928	Rev. Alfred Lee Wilson	Kenwood Church