N.J. Demerath III (‘Jay’), former president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (1997-99), and winner of two SSSR distinguished publication awards (article 1992; book 2002), passed away February 5, 2021 in Leeds, Massachusetts.

Wendy Griffin (September 23,1941-February 12, 2021), a longtime member of the SSSR died peacefully at home. Wendy is best known for her research on the Goddess movement and her work in establishing contemporary Pagan studies as its own interdisciplinary field. She published numerous articles and book chapters, and was the editor of Daughter of The Goddess: Studies of Healing, Identity, and Empowerment (AltaMira, 2000).

James Arthur Beckford FBA (December 1, 1942 - May 10, 2022) was a British sociologist of religion. He was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Warwick and a Fellow of the British Academy. In 1988/1989, he served as President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, and from 1999 to 2003, as the President of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion. He was President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in 2010. Apart from general writings on the sociology of religion, Beckford was a prolific author of books and articles on new religious movements and society's responses to them. He also researched and wrote about religious issues affecting prison inmates.

A native of Massachusetts, James D. Davidson earned his Ph.D. at University of Notre Dame in 1969. He specialized in the sociology of religion, studying religious stratification and trends among American Catholics.

Anthony J. Blasi (1946-2024) Anthony (Tony) Blasi was born April 3, 1946, in Dayton, Ohio to Emmanuel A. Blasi and Mary Ella (Marshall) Blasi, one of five children. He spent most of his childhood in Santa Clara County, California and graduated from St. Francis High School in Mountain View. One sister predeceased him. He earned the A.B. in history from St. Edward’s University in Austin,Texas, and taught at the secondary level in Sherman Oaks, California, and New Orleans, Louisiana. He completed the Ph.D. in sociology and anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 1974. Most of his academic career was spent teaching at Tennessee State University.