Wharton graduates, as a rule, are not usually rebellious. However, gay rights pioneer Rev. Robert Wood is an exception.
Wood, who graduated in 1948 after a stint as Daily Pennsylvanian managing editor, is now an unassuming grandfatherly figure, but his book tells a different story.
Last Sunday, the Christian Association honored Wood for his 40-year fight for church acknowledgement of gays and lesbians.
Robert Wood wrote Christ and the Homosexual in 1960 -- the era of McCarthyism and blacklisting, when homosexuality was taboo, literally hidden behind locked doors and drawn blinds -- especially in the church. The book has since gone out of print and is no longer available in Van Pelt library.
When Wood entered Penn as a freshman in 1941, he had no inkling of where his life was headed. His undergraduate years were interrupted by the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which had an effect eerily similar to the attacks of Sept. 11.
"It changed the whole focus on campus life," Wood said. "There were blackouts, and both professors and students enlisted." Wood enlisted, earning the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
He returned to Penn after the war to pursue a major in journalism, which was offered by Wharton at that time. He was also the chief announcer for WXPN.
The campus atmosphere toward homosexuals was very different back then.
"Gay life was very closeted," Wood said. "There was nobody on campus to talk to, no counseling to speak of."
Wood, who was inspired by Donald Webster Cory's book The Homosexual in America, made serious waves in the Christian community after he graduated. "I did not realize at the time that I was establishing a number of firsts," Wood said. "Cory had generally addressed the subject but had not zeroed in on any specific areas."
Wood's book did. Christ and the Homosexual dealt with many aspects of gay life, in particular its relationship with religion. The book received an overwhelming response from the public, and many people in the gay community sent stories of their own struggles to Wood. However, while many could relate to Wood's story, others -- including his own father and brother -- disapproved of the liberal publication.
Despite the criticism, Wood continued to strive for his beliefs, speaking to church and homophile groups.
Wood, who considers himself a gay-lifestyle historian, reflected on his school days.
"I'm always amazed that the younger generation thinks gay rights happened in '69 at Stonewall -- they don't know their own history. We were the gay pioneers. There are only about a dozen of us left from the '50s and '60s. But we were there."
