Dr. Lincoln D. Hurst was the Religious Studies department's claim to fame. He taught most of the religious studies courses related to Christianity and the New Testament. His classes were always packed and full of open or closeted fans. Students found his comical style of teaching endearing and interesting.
Professor Hurst was an internationally recognized scholar and historian who published extensively on a wide variety of topics, including history, the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and film.
His formal education included two degrees from Princeton (1973 and 1976) and the doctorate of philosophy from Oxford University, England (1982). He was a tenured, full-time professor at UC Davis where he taught over a hundred courses which consistently had among the highest enrollments in the University of California.
He lived in Woodland, California, which he often made fun of. His hobbies included watching baseball (he remains a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan), football, classical music, taking care of abandoned animals, gardening, and travel. He was also an accomplished film historian who appeared in many documentaries and expanded DVD releases of classics such as "The Maltese Falcon."
He was often seen walking rapidly across campus with his eyes watching the ground. His loafers usually had holes in them as did some of his clothes. He also had a proudly grown beard for that extra scholarly effect.
Professor Hurst retired after the 2005/2006 school year.
Sadly, Professor Hurst passed away on November 11, 2008. He is perhaps best memorialized in the California Aggie and in his profile at the Internet Movie Database.
