Nicholas B. Van Dyck,82

Nicholas B. Van Dyck,82 Nicholas B. Van Dyck, whose strong commitment toward making the world a better place led to his serving as a Presbyterian pastor in parishes around the world and as a lecturer and administrator at Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as the executive director of two national education institutions, died on March 20, 2016 at home in Princeton from Lewy body dementia (LBD). He was 82 and had lived in Princeton since 1968. Son of Presbyterian missionaries who served in China from 1917 to 1949, Dr. Van Dyck was born in Pasadena, CA, in 1933 and spent his early childhood in China. He was home-schooled before attending first grade in Shanghai. With the outbreak of World War II, the family returned to the US where his father was given different assignments and was also often away in China. Young Nicholas attended schools in New York City, Princeton, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Grenloch, NJ, before receiving his diploma at the Stony Brook School on Long Island in 1951. During the 1950s he interrupted his college career to serve as a naval aviator aboard the carriers USS Tarawa and USS Antietam in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. His duties included serving as squadron legal officer and later public information officer for the US Sixth Fleet. Dr. Van Dyck graduated from Rutgers University in 1959 and Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1962. He was awarded a Ph.D in the use of language and mythology in Biblical interpretation at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church USA in 1962, he served as pastor of parishes in Scotland, Palisades, NY, and Melbourne, Australia, as well as a lecturer at universities in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, Australia. From 1968 to 1975, Dr. Van Dyck was a lecturer in Practical Theology and the associate director of Field Education at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was elected chair of the Association for Theological Field Education in 1975. At the Seminary he also directed summer programs in Organizational Development for pastors and officers and executives of non-profit organizations. This background and his interest in the impact of institutions and cultural forces on society led Dr. Van Dyck, along with members of the US House and Senate plus corporation executives and creators of prime time televisions’ family programs, to found the National Council for Children and Television and its institute for writers, directors, producers and advertisers. These efforts resulted in a decade of notable and well received family TV series from 1976-86. Dr. Van Dyck’s experience with churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, as well as his work in television programming led to his being appointed director of Religion in American Life in 1988. This position, which he held for the next decade, involved marshaling media resources, especially public service advertising (the Invite-a-Friend Campaign), and religious congregations to strengthen the positive contributions of religion for greater family and neighborhood stability and worthwhile futures for all citizens, especially children. In Princeton, Dr. Van Dyck volunteered at Nassau Presbyterian Church and the Rotary Club, where he served as president. He also served on the executive committee of the Old Guard. He served on the boards of the YMCA, Family Services Agency, American Red Cross, Princeton Youth Fund, the George H. Gallup International Institute and the Rotary Foundation, which provides scholarships for vocationally focused high school graduates. He is survived by his wife Marcia, who brought a strong Quaker heritage to their marriage in 1958. He is also survived by their four daughters, Karen Rhoads Van Dyck, Jennifer Bevier Van Dyck, Sarah Paxson Van Dyck and Rebecca Booraem Van Dyck, their husbands and seven grandchildren, Jacob, Benjamin, Leander, Maximilien, Odessa, Ella and Katherine. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday March 28th at noon at Nassau Presbyterian Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Coalition for Peace (w ww.peacecoalition.org). Alternatively contributions can be made to any other organizations which serve the needs of children or those which further interfaith relationships.