David is enormously respectful of the role of the faculty. He remained on the faculty as president. One day he might come home saying a faculty member had preached an unbelievably wonderful sermon at chapel and another day that he heard a different faculty member give a brilliant talk at a national meeting or at the seminary’s board meeting, and he is wowed by how skilled they are. He refers to them as a stable full of thoroughbreds. To be among such talented people makes a person humble. It is wonderful what they can do.
– Muffy Tiede, spouse, curriculum consultant, retired educator
My husband and I met him when he was doing a sabbatical year at Yale. We had him over for dinner… We were sitting around the dinner table and talking about something in Luke, and within 10 minutes we had the Greek Bible out. We spent quite a while reading Luke in the Greek New Testament. It really got interesting.
– Sarah Henrich, associate professor of New Testament
I recall David as already a church leader in college because he was president of the St. Olaf student congregation our senior year.
David has always been an extraordinary influence on me, both in motivation to be more, as well as an intellect I looked up to in terms of understanding theology and how you apply it to our lives today and every day. We spent time with each other as I was considering accepting the position as president of LSS of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, and he was considering the call to be president of Luther Seminary, and how we wanted to fulfill our responsibilities.
– Robert Duea, Lutheran pastor, retired president of LSS of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, classmate of David Tiede at St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary
Though I was just named president of PLTS in February, my relationship with David Tiede goes way back. I marched in the procession for his installation as president. At that time I had just been named diretcor of Theological Education in the ELCA Division for Ministry, where I served for 10 years. Even during the seven years that I served an ecumenical theological school in Seattle, he was an ally in terms of helping to pave the way for our Lutheran students to do their “Lutheran year” at Luther Seminary or PLTS. He would say that we don’t always agree, but we have been able to knock heads and trust one another. There is a great friendship between us.
– Phyllis Anderson, president of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.