STEPHEN CRITES

Stephen Crites, Hedding Professor of Moral Science and Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, died Sept. 13, 2007, at the age of 76.

A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, he majored in philosophy and concentrated in music. He then attended Yale, earning a Bachelor of Divinity degree and a PhD in philosophical theology. An ordained Methodist minister, he served as pastor of Grace Methodist Church in Stonington, Conn., and later as Wesleyan’s chaplain. He also taught at Yale Divinity School and at Colgate University.

Professor Crites joined the Wesleyan Religion Department faculty in 1961, later moving to the Philosophy Department. He was a much-loved faculty member who taught courses in the Philosophy of Religion and related fields, focusing on 19th-century European philosophy and religious thought, with a special interest in Hegel and Kierkegaard.

“Stephen Crites was an inspiring teacher, a thoughtful, engaged scholar, and a passionate and caring member of the campus community,” noted Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth ’78. “I remember Stephen vividly from my student days,” Roth added, “and have met many alumni over the years whose lives were enriched by his devotion to teaching and to finding connections between narrative and experience, between faith and philosophy.”

A widely published scholar and editor of several journals, his books include Dialectic and Gospel in the Development of Hegel’s Thinking: From the Early Writings through the Phenomenology of Spirit (Penn. State University Press, 1998). A gifted musician and singer, he performed a varied repertoire of works.

After 40 years of service, Prof. Crites retired from Wesleyan in 2001. In addition to his wife, Ann, he is survived by his four daughters, four stepchildren, and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service was held this fall at the Wesleyan Chapel.