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Unitarian Universalists lost a beloved member of our religious community last October with the death of Natalie Gulbrandsen, age 88, at her home in Auburndale, MA.
A Life Member of UUWF, Nat served as a member of our board (1971-75), as treasurer (1975-77) and as president (1977-81). She went on to serve as fourth moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association (1985-93).
Her other accomplishments within our UU community are many. She served as a member of the Council on Ministerial Finance, the Channing Bicentennial Birthday Celebration Committee, the American Unitarian Association Bicentennial Committee, the Emerson Centennial Committee, the Commission on Appraisal and the UU Peace Network. She was also president (1993-96) of the International Association for Religious Freedom; a member of the board and chair (1996-98) of the Church of the Larger Fellowship; and chair of the UU Women’s Heritage Society. In 2002 she received the Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism.
Nat was also a long-time member (since 1946) of the Unitarian Church (now Unitarian Universalist Society) of Wellesley Hills, MA. She and her husband of 48 years, Dr. Melvin Gulbrandsen, who died in 1991, were active in both their church and community and in 1981 were honored by the Town of Wellesley with the Community Award for Distinguished Service.
But her interests and concerns reached far beyond Wellesley. She and her family hosted more than 50 international students; she was active in many environmental causes, recycling and composting in the 1950s long before these were common pursuits; being arrested in 1988 at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site in protest of ongoing U.S. testing of nuclear weapons; and traveling overseas frequently in the interests of liberal religion and religious freedom. For her remarkable contributions to a myriad of causes Natalie was awarded honorary doctoral degrees by both her alma mater, Bates College, and by Meadville/Lombard Theological School.
Well known for both her sense of fairness and common sense, Nat embodied a uniquely selfless leadership style. “It was never about her,” said Rev. William Schulz, a past UUA president. “More than any leader I have ever known, she was uninterested in her own glorification. It was always about the cause, the faith, the matter at hand, the religion she loved.”
She was also known for her sense of humor and her ability to “think on her feet,” as the following story shows. At one point during her UUWF presidency, Nat was lobbying for reproductive rights on Capital Hill in Washington. Upon entering one congressional office, the male representative greeted her by saying there was no point in talking to him, he was anti-abortion and always would be. "After all," he said, "I'm the father of four!"
To which Nat replied - "And I'm the mother of five!"
Nat is survived by those five children - Karen, Linda, Eric, Ellen and Kristin - twelve grandchildren, her brother, John Webber, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. A celebration of her life was held at the UU Society of Wellesley Hills in November. Cards and letters to the family may be addressed c/o Ms. Karen Bean, 489 North Road, Bethel, ME 04217.
Memorial donations can be made to UUWF’s In Memoriam program, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108 and will be used to support the UUWF Grants Program.
Editor’s Note: Our thanks to Rev. Bill Schulz, for permission to excerpt portions of his own memorial notice.
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