Remembering a Storied Life: Dr. Toni Craven
By Rev. Dr. Stephanie Wyatt
Dr. Toni Craven, Emerita Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas died on Thursday, June 5, 2025. Dr. Craven was my Ph.D. advisor and the chair of my dissertation committee. She presided over my dissertation defense in April of 2016, which was her last.
Toni Craven began her career with a rhetorical study of the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical book Judith. Her Artistry and Faith in the Book of Judith still considered a standard text for anyone studying that book. Her interest in feminist hermeneutics is evident from her earliest work and comes to incredible fruition in the collaborative effort Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament, which she edited with Carol Myers and Ross Shepard Kraemer. She was particularly proud of this very first effort to provide a scholarly dictionary article for every woman, as well as metaphorical depictions of the feminine, in these three collections of scripture.
A Love of Learning
Toni Craven loved to learn throughout her life. Her continually expanding curiosity made her an excellent teacher and scholar. In the later years of her career, she didn’t just want to absorb information, she wanted to understand how humans organize that information to make meaning for ourselves and others. Her last book with her beloved friend and colleague, Sherrie Reynolds, Higher Education Reconceived: A Geography of Change engages how post-modern theories of education present teaching as the process of equipping students to learn how to think, rather than assimilate information in a predetermined way.
Toni was an exacting editor who held a greater purpose in mind. Avoiding the passive tense in writing was not just about grammatical correctness, it was about making sure that the writer accurately named those who were responsible for the described action. A statement such as “mistakes were made” would never have passed Toni’s scrutiny. She would ask, “Who made the mistakes, which mistakes did they make, and what are the consequences of their actions?” Effective writing meant accurately assigning (and claiming, if appropriate) responsibility. In this way she made her students not only better writers, but also better people
A Life Well-Rounded
In a world of academics who can often be singularly focused, Toni, as I finally called her after years of only addressing her as Dr. Craven, stood out as someone who sought to be a truly well-rounded human being. She was a scholar with a successful career who still spent a significant amount of time cultivating a spiritual life, nurturing relationships with friends, raising money for causes she cared about, and keeping in touch with loved ones (she would stop everything when her brother called). She adored her dogs, Angel and Anna, and lavished them with treats and . . . believe it or not . . . vegetables. I’ve never seen any other dogs devour broccoli.
Toni was a deeply spiritual person who woke up early to pray each day. Her faith was evident in the way she spoke in class and in the way she related to others. She understood the Christian value of hospitality as well as anyone I have ever known. Toni opened her home to students and traveling scholars. She hosted formal and informal parties including one advisee’s baby shower and my wedding shower. She could distinguish between the student as someone who owed her an assignment and the student as someone who was hurting.
When I experienced panic attacks prior to taking my Ph.D. exams, she invited me over, fed me, and offered me a novel, Red Bird Christmas by Fannie Flag, which provided solace in a way that little else did. Toni understood the power of narrative to transport us out of what was ailing us. She read widely and spoke with passion about favorite authors like Ursula le Guin, Jacqueline Winspear, and Sister Wendy Beckett.
A Big Life
Perhaps the most remarkable story of Dr. Craven’s life is the story of becoming family with her daughter Kathy. Dr. Craven and Kathy met one another when Kathy was a student at Brite. They stayed in touch and through a series of being present for one another during life’s twists and turns they became close. Toni legally adopted Kathy as her daughter. They worked through all the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship together as adults. Not many would be brave enough to set out on such a journey, but for Toni, remarkable human being that she was, her relationship with Kathy just made sense.
I keep a file of favorite quotes on my computer and Toni’s words throughout the years appear several times. The one that I remember best and often repeat to myself is, “We can all make a difference in small ways and no way is small.” Thank you, Dr. Toni Craven, for all the small ways you lived a big life. We are all the better for it.
Rev. Dr. Stephanie Wyatt is associate pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee.
