(Union Presbyterian Seminary) John B. Trotti, a professor emeritus of bibliography at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, died Jan. 23.
A graduate of Davidson College, Trotti earned a Master of Library Science from the University of North Carolina and a doctorate in Old Testament from Yale University.
At Union seminary, he taught Old Testament and a popular class in theology and literature, drawing particularly on his knowledge of writers from the South. He also taught classes at Yale and Randolph-Macon College, and, before coming to Union, served as pastor of Altavista Presbyterian Church in Virginia.
Trotti also served as Union seminary’s librarian from 1968 until 2002, and pioneered a program through which books and periodicals not needed by the Union seminary library were shared with theological schools around the world. For over 29 years, the program contributed more than 135,000 volumes to libraries in 103 institutions in 49 countries, and sparked the creation of the American Theological Book Redistribution Project, through which many libraries share print resources with their international counterparts.
Trotti also served as vice president and president of the American Theological Library Association (1976-1978), president of the Presbyterian Library Association (1973-1974) and as a member of the board of directors of the Historical Foundation of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Montreat, N. C. (1979-1986). He was recently named recipient of the 2012 Award for Excellence in Theological Education by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), an honor recognized at the 2012 General Assembly in Pittsburgh.
Trotti is survived by his wife, Joan, and their three children, Elizabeth, Margaret and Michael, and their families. Services will be held Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Va.
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