In Memoriam: Dean Lynn Robert Buzzard (1940–2025)

Charter Dean of Handong International Law School

With deep sorrow yet abiding hope in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Handong International Law School (HILS) announces the passing of Lynn Robert Buzzard, the Charter Dean of HILS, who entered his eternal rest on October 16, 2025, surrounded by his beloved family.

Dean Buzzard’s life was marked by faith, scholarship, and an unwavering commitment to advancing God’s kingdom through the ministry of law and education.

A Visionary Founding Dean

Invited by President Young Gil Kim, the founding president of Handong Global University, Dean Buzzard came to Korea in 2002 to serve as the first dean of HILS. Taking a leave from his position at Campbell University School of Law, he embarked on a mission that had never before been attempted in Korea: to establish a professional graduate law school program that would train Christian lawyers for global practice.

With extraordinary faith and resolve, Dean Buzzard built the foundation upon which Handong International Law School continues to stand. He established the school’s curriculum, founded the law library, recruited faculty and students, and developed the institutional policies that would define HILS. His vision was bold—to prepare graduates qualified for bar examinations in the United States—and through his faith and leadership, that vision became reality.

In 2004, the first cohort of HILS graduates took the Tennessee bar examination, with virtually all members passing successfully. Today, HILS stands as a testimony to that faith, with 667 graduates who have gone on to pass U.S. bar exams and now serve as legal professionals across Korea and around the world—living witnesses of Christ in the field of law.

When the law school relocated to its current home in All Nations Hall in 2011, the Lynn R. Buzzard Law Library was named in his honor — a lasting tribute to the founding dean whose scholarship, faith, and leadership established the very heart of the institution.

A Teacher, Pastor, and Servant of God

During his tenure at Handong, Dean Buzzard not only taught Constitutional Law, but also nurtured the spiritual life of the community. His many chapel messages inspired faculty and students alike to trust in God’s faithfulness and to dedicate their legal training to His glory. He modeled what it means to be a servant leader—a man who pursued excellence not for personal acclaim, but for the honor of Christ.

Reflecting on his legacy, current Dean Hee Eun Lee shared:

“Dean Buzzard was a giant in faith upon whose shoulders all of us at Handong International Law School stand. He was a true servant of God who taught us to use our legal training to glorify God and to be a witness of His goodness and strength. I will miss him dearly, but I know that he is in the arms of his God and Savior.”

A Pioneer Among Christian Lawyers

Dean Buzzard was part of the first generation of Christian lawyers in the United States who, in the 1970s, responded to growing cultural and legal challenges facing the Christian church. He and other early Christian legal thinkers sought to reclaim law as a redemptive instrument under God’s sovereignty.

As one of these pioneers, Dean Buzzard helped establish the Christian Legal Society (CLS) in Chicago, serving as its founding Executive Director for twelve years. Under his leadership, CLS became a powerful movement — equipping Christian attorneys and students to integrate their faith with the practice of law, and to defend religious liberty and justice for the vulnerable. His work shaped the spiritual and professional identity of generations of Christian lawyers in America and beyond.

A Life of Faithful Service

Born on January 15, 1940, in Ohio, to Theodore and Mabel Buzzard, Lynn grew up in Portland, Oregon, where his love for reading, learning, and the pursuit of truth was evident from an early age. A brilliant scholar, he attended Duke University on a full scholarship, earning multiple degrees with honors and later completing doctoral studies in both Theology and Law — a combination that reflected his lifelong conviction that faith and intellect must serve one another in obedience to Christ.

His professional life was one of global influence and service. He served as Executive Director of the Christian Medical Society in Seattle, as Professor of Constitutional Law at Campbell University School of Law, and as a Chaiman of the Board of Advocates International, where he traveled the world assisting governments with constitutional and religious freedom issues.

When God called him to Korea, Dean Buzzard saw in HILS an opportunity to unite the Great Commission with his passion for legal education. Through his vision, courage, and faith, Handong International Law School became a beacon of Christ-centered legal education.

After retiring from teaching in 2012, he continued to serve faithfully in both local and international missions and remained an active member of Buies Creek First Baptist Church in North Carolina.

A Faith That Endures

Dean Buzzard was married for 64 years to Juanita Dunn of Kenansville, North Carolina, his partner in faith and ministry. Together they raised three sons—Ted, Terry, and Tony—and were blessed with ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Those who knew Dean Buzzard will remember his unshakable faith, his love for Scripture, and his deep humility. He was a man who believed that the law, rightly understood, could serve as an instrument of God’s justice and mercy in the world.

A Legacy That Lives On

The Handong community mourns the loss of its founding dean but celebrates his entrance into eternal glory. His life embodies the truth of Micah 6:8:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God.”

Through his faith, leadership, and love for Christ, Dean Buzzard shaped not only an institution, but also generations of Christian lawyers who continue to live out his vision—to practice law as a calling under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

We give thanks to God for the life and legacy of our beloved dean, mentor, and friend.

To God be the glory, for the great things He has done.

Handong International Law School

October 19, 2025

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