Tom Boyd
David Ross Boyd Professor Emeritus,
Religious Studies

Ask Tom Boyd about love. He'll give it to you straight. Because when he talks about his wife, Barbara, he grins. Both religious studies professors, the Boyds have been married 25 years. They met at OU, teach at OU and even renewed their wedding vows on campus.

"I've lucked out," Boyd says. "We love the same things. We've never had an argument over money, over children, over how to spend our leisure time. I'd rather do things with her than by myself. You live with someone and you are either going to get better at sharing and caring about it, or it will get worse."

Boyd retired from teaching at OU in 1997, after 28 years in the philosophy department. When his wife was invited back to be a part of the young, religious studies program, Boyd became a David Ross Boyd Emeritus professor and program consultant, getting back into the classroom. He says finding a good balance is always a challenge when teaching religion.

"I let (students) know what my general biases are because you have to watch out for those," Boyd says. "They need to meet people who have a point of view. They are going to meet them the rest of their life."

It is in part Boyd's philosophy that helped the religious studies program grown tenfold in the three years since its inception in 2002. Students can major or minor in religious studies with classes like Asian Philosophy or Contemporary American Christianity.

The Boyd's no longer have desks facing each other in their home. Their offices are now in two separate parts of the house, but Tom Boyd says he preferred sharing.

"She doesn't have to have all my professional interests for us to have a good relationship, but it doesn't hurt," Boyd says. "We have this harmony. Anything she says, I know what she's talking about. I really enjoy working together."