Tag: Robert Hull

Van Gundy, Doug: The Post-Socratic Method (for Rob Hull)

The Post-Socratic Method (for Rob Hull)

by Doug Van Gundy

those you love most will fade and it’s only you changing “Salt Water” – Rob Hull

2,400 years ago, Socrates was arrested, tried, convicted and poisoned for corrupting the minds of the youth by teaching them logic and moral philosophy.  How things have changed.  Today, he would have been granted tenure. And yet, some things are unchanging.  In the days and weeks and years after his death, friends and former students of Socrates would fall into solemn silence when they walked past a place where the great man had taught, or burst into peals of laughter recounting some beloved story of his cleverness or idiosyncrasy, or suddenly recall his generosity when they accidentally stepped into the negative space of their own loss.  Socrates may have believed all philosophy was a preparation for death, but that didn’t keep him from leaving a man-shaped hole in the hearts and lives of those who loved and respected him, a hole they tried to fill with stories and writing, contemplation and discourse, argument and tears and a rededication to a rigorous questioning of the world, none of which, of course, could replace the man, but nevertheless made them feel a little better in the long days when the absence of Socrates must have been visible everywhere.  How much they still have to teach us, those named and nameless Athenians,of how to handle grief.

This was written by Doug Van Gundy, and read at the memorial service for Rob Hull in Feburary, 2019.

Philosophically Speaking

When the West Virginia Conference Seminary opened in 1890,  Psychology, Ethics, and Greek were taught by President Bennett W. Hutchinson. He taught these subjects throughout his presidency from 1890-1899.  He was followed by President Simon Boyers who taught Ethics and Psychology from 1899-1900 and President John Weir who taught those subjects from 1900-1901. In other words, the subjects were of such importance that the presidents themselves taught them. What could be more important than to help students learn to search for and love wisdom? To think clearly about the meaning of life?

Several people have taught philosophy at West Virginia Wesleyan College through the years. Some have been here a few years. Others have been here much longer. Philosophy has at times been combined with other disciplines, and at other times stood on its own.

  • T. R. Watson  (Philosophy, History, English Bible: 1905-07)
  • William Armistead Haggerty (Philosophy, Pedagogy, English Bible: 1908-09)
  • Paige Milburn (Philosophy and Education: 1910-13)
  • Frances Shreve (Philosophy and Education: 1914-15)
  • Norman Boardman (Philosophy: 1921)
  • Paul Crissman (Philosophy and Education: 1925-27)
  • Albion King (Philosophy and Psychology: 1928-29)
  • Randall B. Hamrick (Philosophy and Religion: 1941-43)
  • Jose Franuiz (Philosophy: 1947-64)
  • J. Brenton Stearns (Philosophy: 1962-64)
  • Joseph B. Mow (Philosophy: 1963-88)
  • Alfred John Black (Philosophy and Religion: 1967-73)
  • David K. Hill (Philosophy: 1974-80)
  • William H. Capitan (Philosophy: 1975-80)
  • Willa Pinto (Philosophy: 1976-78)
  • Bernard F. Keating (Philosophy: 1977-2017)
  • Robert N. Hull (Philosophy: 1994-2019)
  • Scott Williams (Philosophy: 2019-current)

Giants

Since 1947, four of these people have combined to teach 107 years of philosophy. They have not only been Giants on our campus but within their profession, often speaking at international conferences and founding new organizatons and opportunities to discuss philosophical matters with others.

Dr. Jose Franquiz was born in Puerto Rico in 1906 and educated at Colgate University and Boston University. He was an ordained Methodist minister as well as a philosopher. He presented papers all over the world, and led international study opportunities for students.

Dr. Joseph Mow was born in India to missionary parents, and attended an English speaking boarding school there. His higher education was done mainly at the University of Chicago, although he also studied at Oxford University for a time. After World War II he was active in relief work in China, working with refugees, and later became Associate Director for Immigration Services of Church World Services in New York City. Dr. Mow was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

Dr. Bernard F. Keating (known as Chip) received his undergraduate degree from William and Mary and his masters and doctorate at the University of Virginia. Being a true lover of learning, he also earned his M.B.A. from West Virginia Wesleyan along the way. Although he retired in 2017, he is still teaching and engaging with students.

Dr. Robert Hull has taught philosophy at West Virginia Wesleyan for 25 years. This week, on January 30, 2019, we have lost a Giant. Dr. Hull died very unexpectedly. At a school where we prize Critical Thinking, Rob was the one who taught a class on that very thing. He taught The Examined Life, helping generations of students to find meaning and to love learning. He founded the Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference in 2004, which gives opportunities for students in both the sciences and the humanities to think and research as well as to learn to think and act like the scholars that they are.

His enthusiasm for the school and his students was boundless, and he especially enjoyed sharing it all with his own children. Last May I found myself sitting beside Rob at Commencement. He applauded for each and every graduate. It was a special day for him, however, as he also was given the opportunity to hand the diploma to his own son, Ethan. He loved learning and wisdom and the sharing of it.

Dr. Debra Murphy, Associate Professor of Religion, has written a tribute to Rob Hull. Her words speak for many of his faculty colleagues.  It is titled The Love of Wisdom. You can read it here.

Rev. Krysta Rexrode Wolfe, a former student, has written a tribute to Rob as well. Her words echo what I have been hearing from other students in the past few days. It is titled Philosophical Horizons. You can read it here.

West Virginia Wesleyan College has been blessed with amazing faculty members. Many of these people could have taught anywhere. They chose to be here. They love to share their love of learning.

Philosophically speaking, I believe it is what a college should be all about.

Learning