Robert “Bob” Simon, the Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and cherished community member, passed away on May 31, 2018. A celebration to commemorate his life will be held on Saturday, September 9 at 4 PM in the College Chapel. The event is open to the public and will include remembrances by family, friends, Hamilton alumni, and colleagues.
Simon was renowned for his work on the topic of sports ethics. He was named one of the “100 Most influential Sports Educators” by the Institute of International Sport in 2007. In 2016,
The Journal of the Philosophy of Sports
dedicated their whole issue (a practice known as a “Festschrift”) to honor Simon’s career, featuring some of his best-known works and the praise of his colleagues and peers. In the issue, editor R. Scott Kretchmar, wrote on “the remarkable influence that Bob Simon has had on our field.”
Over the course of his nearly 50-year career at Hamilton, Simon was recognized with a plethora of distinctions such as the Samuel & Helen Lang Prize for Excellence in Teaching and the Distinguished Service Award from the Hamilton Alumni Association, among others. He was also elected President of the Philosophic Society for the Study of Sport and inducted into the Kirkland Sports Hall of Fame.
From 1986 to 2000, Simon coached the Hamilton men’s golf team, which competed in the 1998 NCAA Division III National Championship, and was often nationally ranked. In 2017, President Wippman announced that a new golf practice facility would be built and named in Simon’s honor.
Simon was an expert and accomplished professional in the field of philosophy, but community members say one of his most remarkable and esteemed gifts was his ability to foster genuine connections with the people he came into contact with. Whether it was amongst students, colleagues, family, or friends he was regarded as an attentive, caring, and positive person to be around.
Associate Professor of Philosophy and chair of the department Katheryn Doran, who worked alongside Simon for 28 years, had this to say about his influence: “Bob was a smart, delightful, and inspiring colleague from whom generations of people in the department saw the most important pedagogical virtues in action every day. He was crystal clear in reconstructing sophisticated arguments, open to and generous with critics of the positions he was defending, and happy to continue conversations with students and faculty alike after (and then again before) class.”
As a philosopher, professor, friend, and colleague, Simon was repeatedly described as being “transformative.” The ceremony in the Chapel will be an opportunity to come together and share memories of his legacy and attest to the impression he left on the community.
