Archeologist Who Brought History to Life Dies at 92

An archeologist who explored pitch-dark crypts in Israel and brought history to life at Drew University as a professor of church history will be remembered at a service in Madison this month.

Borough resident Robert Jehu Bull, the husband of university President Vivian Bull, died Saturday at age 92.

A memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the United Methodist Church in Madison, according to the university website. A reception will follow at Drew.

Bull, the author of more than 30 scholarly articles, came to the school as an instructor of church history in 1955 and retired as a full professor in 1991, an obituary published on the university website says.

He served as director of the Drew University Institute for Archaeological Research from 1968 to 1990. He also served director of the Joint Expedition to Caesarea Maritima, a city in Israel built by King Herod, from 1971 to 1996, the obituary says.

Bull has two sons, Camper and Carlson. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be sent to the Robert Jehu Bull Prize, which was endowed in 1996 and is awarded annually to the graduating student with the best record in church history. The family also is asking people who knew Bull to share their stories in comments on the university website.