Notice regarding Alan Edward Fuchs
William & 玛丽 Provost Peggy Agouris sent the following message to the campus community Jan. 19, 2021. - Ed.
Dear Colleagues, I write to share the news of the passing of Professor Emeritus Alan Fuchs.
(Adapted from Obituary in Daily Press, January 2, 2021)
Alan Edward Fuchs, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, passed away at home on December 28th, 2020 after a lengthy illness. He was 79 years old.
An internationally-recognized expert on ethics and social and political philosophy, Alan’s educational journey initially began with a focus on physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He soon found himself engrossed in his philosophy classes, and he graduated with a degree in both disciplines. He and Janet were high school sweethearts and married after college, with Alan pursuing his dedication to philosophy at Harvard University where he received his M.A. and Ph.D. under the tutelage of his mentor, Professor John Rawls.
Alan and Janet moved to Williamsburg in 1969 for Alan’s first teaching job, at William & 玛丽. This introductory position would lead to an esteemed career that spanned four decades, and was marked by numerous achievements and recognitions including chairman of the Philosophy department, the Thomas Jefferson teaching award, and in 2007, the prestigious Thomas Ashley Graves Jr. Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching. He served as President of the Virginia Philosophical Association, and was a Fellow of the National Humanities Institute at Yale University. He also served as a member of the executive boards of the International Society for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy and the American Society for Social Philosophy. He published articles in moral psychology, moral theory, and the philosophy of rights, specializing in the work of John Stuart Mill and John Rawls.
Beyond the accolades, the true joy of philosophy for Alan was the discussions, the debates, and the Socratic method of questioning (both in the classroom and at home at the dinner table). Even after an all-night review of exam blue books, he eagerly went to campus the next day, inspired by the interaction he would have with his students, teaching them a subject he believed would arm them with important skills and knowledge they would utilize throughout their adult lives. His classes were challenging, yet he was a widely adored professor with many alumni reaching out to him after graduation to offer thanks for his guidance and inspiration.
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In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the William & 玛丽 Department of Philosophy. Please make checks payable to the William & 玛丽 Foundation and mail to William & 玛丽, Gift Accounting, P.O. Box 1693, Williamsburg, VA 23187. To make an online gift, please go to https://giving.wm.edu/give-now/?allocation=2983
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Peggy Agouris
