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10. K. ZEMAN:IN MEMORIAM
    
    by Bob Wilson, Professor of Church History, Acadia Divinity College
    
    On September18, 2000, Dr. Jarold K. Zeman, the former Professor of
    
    Church History at Acadia DivinityCollege and perhaps most significant
    
    Canadian Baptist leader inthe last half century, went home to be with the
    
    Lord he loved and served so faithfully. Dr. Zeman leavesbehind his wife
    
    Lillian, children Miriam, Dagmar (Gary) Carter, Timothy(Tammy), and
    
    Janice, and seven grandchildren.
    
    Dr. Zeman was born inCzechoslovakia and grew up in the era of the
    
    depression and thenthe invasion of the Nazis. In his home he learned to
    
    trust in Christand to love learning and music. At age 15, while studying the
    
    Gospel ofJohn, he accepted Christ as his Lord. His high-school education
    
    was interrupted by the war but in 1946 he completed high school and wentto
    
    study at the University of Prague. Beforehis second year of University he
    
    felt the call of Godto ministry and switched to the Faculty of Theology.
    
    While there andjust after the Communist takeover of the nation in 1948, he
    
    received a scholarship to study at Knox College in Toronto.
    
    The decision tocome to Canada changed both his life and ours. As it
    
    came time to consider going back to Czechoslovakia,he was concerned
    
    about his personal safety and was convicted aswell about believers' baptism.
    
    He chose to remain in Canada and to become a Baptist. Two years later, in
    
    1951, he and Lillian were married. While in Ontario he served as the pastor of
    
    the Czechoslovakian Baptist Churchfrom 1950 to 1955. There he used his
    
    musical abilities as well as his pastoralskills. In 1955 they moved to the Villa
    
    Nova Baptist Church. During those years he was involved with ministry to
    
    new immigrants to Canada.
    
    Between 1959 and 1968 he workedfor the Baptist Convention of
    
    Ontario and Quebec inthe Home Mission Board. In 1965 he took a study
    
    leave to do doctoral studies at the University of Zurich and to lecture atthe
    
    Baptist Seminary at Ruschlikon. During those yearshe travelled widely
    
    presenting papers at various conferences and preaching inmany churches
    
    and conventions. In 1969, he was awarded his Doctoral degree from Zurich.
    
    On July 1, 1968, Dr. Zeman became Associate Professorat Acadia

Divinity College.

He spoke warmly of those early years as The School of

Theology became the Divinity College.

He moved among our churches as a

fresh voice for the College and helped win allegiancefrom Baptist churches