Philosophy Department Alumni and Alumnae

Listing of Philosophy Alumni and Alumnae by Class Year

Listing of Philosophy Alumni and Alumnae by Last Name

Philosophy Department Alumni and Alumnae Testimonials

(Please contact Jim Peterman at jpeterma@sewanee.edu to add yout testiminial.)

Andrew Schmidt C'04

In order to tell an accurate story of why I am so deeply indebted to the philosophical environment offered by the University and the Sewanee community I must first sketch a picture of who I was as a person at the time I first entered the stony threshold that marks the boundary of the Domain. I am a life-long military dependent, and one who had moved three times during my four years of high school. The product of these "tours of duty" of which, at the time, I was most grateful, was a keen ability to adapt to the various environments I found myself located. The down side of the process of perpetual adaptation, to make a long story short, resulted in thick, deep-seeded walls within my mental and emotional self. So, I was a person who possessed a certain adaptive charisma, and on the other side of the coin, one who had a quiver full of defense mechanisms and who was bothered by self-doubt and anxiety. Basically, I was your typical college freshman.

So, within the picture of myself that I am sketching for you, the pencil strokes create many shades and may dimensions, some lines are clean and others are rough, and the picture is not so different from the one that you would sketch of yourself. I made it through my freshman year and really began to gain a sense of myself as an independent person, and had an interesting and wonderful time throughout the process. I assumed the role of an optimist. I took mostly required courses, the Humanities sequence, Biology 131, a Political Science course because it was an election year. I became comfortable making independent decisions and enjoyed maintaining and balancing my personal, social, and academic responsibilities. The biggest issue that accompanied this new transitional period in my life was my awareness of recurring questions that were bubbling somewhere inside of me. Who am I? How have I changed? Why have I changed? Where am I going? What is my place here? What is my place in the world? Do I really believe in what I say I believe in? And the list is vast. The question I was most concerned with, however, was, "How can I begin to answer all of these questions?"
The next chapter of my story has much to do with the friendship and guidance of the Philosophy Department, including both its' faculty and students. I found in the department a place where there was no shame in asking personal questions during class time, a place that excited me and carefully pushed me academically, and a place that set out to help me find my own path in life. In other words, the department was fully concerned with who I was as a person, not just as a student. The department taught me how to read and write critically (after all, the virgin enterprise of reading philosophy is no different than reading brail) and how to think dialectically. It has taught me how to clearly express myself. I have gained taste. I have carried these "skills" along with me to the current chapter of my life, and I cannot picture a future context where I would abandon them. The philosophy major introduced me to the world of ethics, and has urged me to always consider the repercussions of my actions in my relationships with others. In addition, the major has taught me about inner peace and poise, the affirmation of life, and has given me an unshakable confidence in the vein of eastern mind-states.

To put it simply, the philosophy major is a lifestyle. And an active and exciting one at that. I am currently a graduate student pursuing a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture (something that Sewanee does not offer, nor something that I have ever studied) somewhere in the depths of Mississippi. I really enjoy what I am studying and feel that I have a strong grasp on this completely foreign subject. Philosophy taught me that there is always a critic, so a critic might chime in, "What!?, how did you go from philosophy to landscape architecture?" Very easily, I reply. Because the philosophy major at Sewanee prepares you to do anything in life, wherever your interests may lead you. Once you have learned how to properly orient yourself within the various contexts of the world, the question of life shifts from "What can you do?" to "What will you do and when will you will it?" So, the bottom-line and the conclusion is this: I can't honestly give a higher recommendation to another young person than to major in philosophy when you are attending the University of the South. Or in other words, make hay while the sun shines

Alan Wray C' 02

I graduated from Sewanee with a philosophy degree in the spring of 2002. I was particularly inspired by studying Chinese philosophy, as well as Nietzsche. There is a common, bourgeois joke about philosophy majors, which addresses their supposed inability to make any money after graduating. Those making such a joke presume themselves to be more 'realistic' or perhaps more 'practical' than philosophically-minded people, but the real issue is something of a quite different nature.

As a person trained in philosophy, I recognize that, above all, I have gained the ability to consciously explore various aspects of my own thinking-life and my own feeling-life. I have learned to encounter ideas and states of affairs in the world with the intention of discovering how I, personally, relate to these things around me. As someone keenly interested in combating the impulse towards materialism, I have resolved to set priorities for my life which reach beyond any desire for material advancement. I am quite convinced that training in philosophy has helped me to make decisions for my life that correspond to my moral and spiritual ideals. Thus, as a philosopher, I have chosen not to pursue wealth or fame. It is not ineptitude that influences my financial status but a firm resolve to act out of my true self amidst a sea of materialistic messages.

I have spent the past year in Nashville teaching kindergartners at the Linden Corner School, and I feel strongly that young people everywhere need positive and creative influences in their lives. In the coming months, I will be moving to Ireland with a handful of friends, where we plan to run a non-profit theatre company aimed at engaging rural children in artistic projects. I am slowly learning to act on my inner stirrings, which now guide my movement from place to place. My training in philosophy has helped me develop resources within myself to stand up amongst the turbulence of outer pressures and fears, to stand up and truly do what seems right and helpful.

David Spiller C'00

Studying philosophy at Sewanee has had a huge impact on my life since graduation. First and foremost, having gone through the rigor of the philosophy major at Sewanee - with the difficulty of the materials and topics themselves, the writing-intensive nature of the classes, and the great labor of comprehensive exams and the senior thesis - I am happy to say that I can now read and write about anything. And I mean anything: philosophy, history, economics, literature, psychology, biology, even nanotechnology. It might take me a very long time to understand an article about nanotechnology in Discover magazine (and in fact it did the summer after I graduated from Sewanee), but understand it I will (and did). I feel that I can safely say most people rarely read anything more difficult than Aristotle's Metaphysics or Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (unless, of course, one goes on to graduate school in philosophy, as I did for a period of time). Working through such difficult and rich material is a challenge and will leave one forever changed, I think for the better. And learning how to articulate one's thoughts verbally about such difficult material is even more challenging and more, for lack of a better word, "life-changing." In other words, I think the philosophy major at Sewanee is a great way to develop key skills of reading comprehension, analysis, and verbal communication. It's trial by fire, for sure. But it's a glorious fire in a lot of ways - after all, the historical sweep of the philosophy major at Sewanee takes one through centuries of intellectual history. Even if you don't directly study a particular "ism" you will know what it is when you ultimately see it.

My own post-graduate path has taken my through various jobs, a year in graduate school for philosophy, and now law school, where I have done well and am very happy. Law school constitutes the learning of a trade on one hand and the amalgamation of philosophy, economics, social science, history, public policy, and logic on the other. I am very glad to have the skills described above and a familiarity with the intellectual history of the West. The only major I think might prepare one as well for law school is economics, but that might be regret speaking: I never took an economics course at Sewanee and wish I had. Legal writing, like philosophical writing, was tricky at first: there are different purposes of each form of writing and different conventions. But after burning through papers upon papers as a philosophy major at Sewanee, cranking out a ten page legal memorandum in two days is doable (but still stressful, of course). And it was daunting asking questions in a Contracts class with 150 other students, but having had many back-and-forth question and answer rounds with the Sewanee philosophy professors over four years, I did fine. I don't think I would get as much intellectual stimulation out of law school if I hadn't studied philosophy and become so verse in our intellectual history. And I don't mean to imply that I am studying legal philosophy or any such thing; no, business associations law means a lot more to me, for its own sake as part of our history and our daily lives, than I think it would otherwise had I not majored in philosophy. And believe me, finding law school intellectually stimulating goes part and parcel with doing well as a law student and as a lawyer; indeed, the best lawyers are those who loved law school (even if they hated it at times).

Jeffery S. Richardson C'84

I have taken this time out of my harried existence to write thistestimonial because I feel it is important to share with you the benefits of studying philosophy. I could recommend philosophy just because it is an extremely interesting subject, but that is just the cherry on the top. I remember how I came to that major. I knew that I wanted to go to Law School, and had been trying to find a major that would prepare me for the legal profession. I had chosen English as my major, and had purchased the tower of books needed for my first semester concentrating in English. After perusing my books, I chanced upon a recently declared philosophy major who had just purchased his books. After examining his books, I realized that I would rather study his subjects than mine.

Besides the fact that English is a good foundation for legal studies, I had chosen English because of my love for poetry. However though I loved enjoying these works for myself, I did not enjoy analyzing them. It was like loving my dog, but not being interested in dissecting one. On the other hand, Philosophy directly addressed life's most important and interesting questions: what do we know of existence, of life, of the human condition, of love and even of God? While I had little interest in discussing how a beautiful passage develops a plot line, I loved discussing whether we could prove the existence of the table around which we all sat.

While I was enjoying myself, I also gained knowledge and skills that help me every day, not only in the practice of law, but in life in general. Philosophy is an excellent preparation for legal studies because it teaches you critical thinking, logical analysis and the art of persuasive argument. For this same reason, it is an excellent preparation for anything that requires thought or expression. Moreover, these skills are very scarce in the general population, and therefore, they provide a significant advantage to
those capable therein.

In addition to these reasons, I have found that Philosophy has helped me through the exposure to the history of man's investigation of life's most important questions. The diligent student of Philosophy gains a wealth of knowledge that can protect him from past mistakes, produce a better understanding of the present and provide a guidepost for progress.
For these reasons, I believe that being a Philosophy Major has made an important contribution to my career and my life, and I recommend it to you.

The Rev. Dr. James C. Pace C' 76

I majored in philosophy in the days when Dr. Hugh Caldwell was program chair, assisted by Drs. William Garland and Steve Brown. I was an honors grad and successfully defended a paper concerning early church fathers and the role of philosophy. I can truly say that a liberal arts degree with a major in philosophy has helped me in so many ways since my graduation in 1976. To begin with, a concentration in philosophy opens the mind to myriads of possibilities: cosmology, logic, ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, to name a few. I touched on all of these topics again and again as I entered graduate education in both ministry and the discipline of nursing at the doctoral level---my undergraduate degree equipped me with the necessary prerequisite knowledge. So many of my counterparts did not have this wonderful background. As an Episcopal Priest, the study of philosophy opened my mind to religion, religious thinking of many types, the realm of the spiritual, and how differently they can be conceived and entered into in terms of world views. As a nurse faculty member at Emory University, the degree has sharpened my ability to think logically, consistently, ethically, and (if I may say so) a bit more graciously. It has lent itself to my writing skills which include professional publications, correspondence, the preparation of sermons, and church newsletter materials. I also find the degree of essential in terms of coffee-table discussions and idle chit chat in a variety of settings. I shall never regret it and give thanks for it. I strongly recommend such preparation for a student who knows he or she is going to enter into a graduate program that demands a strong liberal arts background.

The Reverend Robert E. Reese C' 71

My experience as a philosophy major at Sewanee was very positive. I had not had any exposure to philosophy prior to college since it was not offered in my high school. The Introduction to Philosophy course I took as a freshman at Sewanee in 1967 with Dr. Garland opened the door to a new and exciting world. After the first semester, I knew I would be a philosophy major.

I was not a brilliant student at Sewanee; I did not graduate "with honors." Nevertheless, I took as many philosophy courses as the administration would allow. Philosophy not only challenged me, but I grew tremendously both intellectually and personally as a result of my interaction with the course material and my teachers, Dr. Bill Garland and Dr. Hugh Caldwell. These men were excellent mentors, and I appreciated their support of me as a person.

After graduating as a philosophy major in 1971, I decided to become an Episcopal priest and earned a Master in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1974. My philosophy major at Sewanee prepared me for theological studies and for a professional vocation as a priest for the past 26 years. I have effectively served four congregations, and I was an active duty Episcopal Chaplain in the United States Army for nine years. I have had five quarters of Clinical Pastoral Education, and I later earned a Doctor of Ministry from Virginia Seminary

In a word, philosophy at Sewanee taught me how to think. It taught me how to be objective, intellectually flexible, and yet critical and discerning of ideas, values and belief systems. For me, a major role of an effective leader is to help people formulate a sound and exciting vision for themselves and their community. As a leader in the church, the study of philosophy has provided me the resources I need to encourage individuals and communities to use effective thought processes to formulate visions and goals, which actualize sound Christian beliefs and healthy values. Philosophy at Sewanee provided me an academic and intellectual foundation which has served me well, and for which I am most grateful. I would encourage others to consider taking philosophy to help prepare them to meet the intellectual challenges of living in a very complex world.

Cyrus P Quadland C' 70

In response to your letter, from my viewpoint, I think philosophy helps one explore the interaction of meaning, thought and action from the broadest possible perspective. The ability to digest complicated situations from 100,000 feet has been very helpful to me and I attribute a significant portion of that to my education at Sewanee.

Ivey Jackson C'52

One area I would think falls in the field of Philosophy is something that has helped me out the past decade. I read Stephen Crowley's "Seven Habits for Successful Executives." It is his first chapter on Paradigms. It has helped me immensely to try and learn other people's positions so that we can get along, do business together or just be happier.

Charles Dobbins C'52

I graduated from Sewanee in 1950, and entered Virginia Theological Seminary in the fall. Upon arriving, I discovered there were five new students from Sewanee: George Bedell, English major; Dudley Colhoun, Math; Cannon McCreary, English; Cecil Woods, Instructor in English; and myself, Charles Dobbins, a philosophy major.

If I decided on the ordained ministry, it seemed that philosophy was my best major. I didn't realize it at the time, but philosophy, theology and apologetics have a close relationship. I sort a envied my college classmates who knew what they would do after graduation, like those who spent eighty hours a week in the Chemistry lab because they wanted to go to medical school.

I include the college majors of my seminary classmates to reveal our lack of definite goals. However, if someone is considering the priesthood or any vocation that requires the understanding of knowledge, I sincerely recommend a major in Philosophy.