Dr. Edward C. Lehman, Jr., Sociology Department Scholarship

The Dr. Edward Charles Lehman, Jr., Sociology Scholarship honors the memory of Dr. Lehman, a member of the faculty at The College at Brockport from 1970 to 1996, and his wife Johnnie Lehman by recognizing an outstanding student in the Department of Sociology at the College.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Lehman dedicated their lives to teaching and learning. Mrs. Lehman earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and her master’s degree in education. She taught social studies at Monroe High School in the Rochester City School District. In addition to traveling with her husband to each of the world’s continents, she gardened, sewed, and played tennis. A devoted mother and grandmother, she also was known for her warmth, cooking, and hospitality. Mrs. Lehman passed away in 2016.

When he was in high school, Dr. Lehman did not consider himself much of a student and almost dropped out before he graduated and joined the US Navy. He credited the Navy for helping him realize that he could set and achieve goals. He began his formal education in seminary and completed his PhD in Sociology from Mississippi State University, Starkville. At Brockport, he earned the Distinguished Teaching Professor honor in 1994.

Specializing in the sociology of religion and specifically the role of women in the clergy, Dr. Lehman wrote three books: Gender and Work: The Case of the Clergy, published in 1983; Women Clergy: Breaking through Gender Barriers, published in 1985; and Women in the Ministry: Receptivity and Resistance, published in 1995. He also contributed to an anthology: Project SWIM: A Study of Women in the Ministry, published in 1979.

In addition to travel throughout the world, Dr. Lehman enjoyed woodworking, sailing, tennis, biking, and especially his children and grandchildren. He passed away in 2019.

Support of family, friends, colleagues, church, and community was important to Dr. and Mrs. Lehman. Their family, in turn, provided this annual support to a sociology student at Brockport through the Dr. Edward C. Lehman, Jr., Sociology Department Scholarship.

Qualified applicants for this scholarship are full- or part-time students in the Department of Sociology who will enter their junior or senior year in the academic year following their selection. They must demonstrate the potential to affect the global discipline of sociology and exhibit academic excellence through a GPA of 3.0 or higher and/or be among the top 10 percent academically of students in the Department of Sociology.

Students who are US military veterans or current members of the ROTC program at Brockport will receive preference as will students who work part- or full-time to defray the cost of their educational expenses.