1990s Philosophy Alumni Updates
We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your news.
Geoffery Gunter '93 (Philosophy and Computer Science) I am indebted to the philosophical education I received from the great professors at William and Mary. It's because of J. Harris, G. Harris, E. McLean and L. Becker that Tarski, Descartes, Heidegger, Gadamer, Whitehead and Russell continue to influence my thinking. These thinkers prepared me to navigate the constant change/challenge in my 20 year IT career with openness and courage. I am now a Sr. Vice President for a Regional Bank in New England. I am certain that I have achieved this level based in part on the discipline of thinking that the W&M philosophy eduction gave me. Even today I am still reading in the subject: Speculative Realism (Graham Harman), Truth (Burgess and Burgess) and Meta-Philosophy (Williamson). November 2011
Andrew Kukla '98 I had three major changes this year. I earned my Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary (where I previously also earned my Masters of Divinity in 2003), took a new position as the Pastor/Head of Staff at First Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho, and will welcome my fourth child in November (with fellow William and Mary alumnus Caroline Kukla, also '98 with a B.S. in Accounting). September 2012
Greg Laux '95 (Government & Philosophy): I am a 1995 graduate of William & Mary currently living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio, with my wife and family. I am currently employed as an attorney at the law firm of Kohnen & Patton LLP and practice in the areas of civil litigation, medical malpractice defense, product liability, premises liability, landlord-tenant law, employment law, and real estate. My Philosophy major and the Philosophy classes I took at the College were a tremendous help to me on the law school admission test (LSAT) and in my law school classes, and I will always be grateful for the outstanding professors I had at William & Mary and the passion and enthusiasm they had for teaching their students.
Specifically, Professors George Harris, James Harris, and Thomas Powers in the Philosophy Department had a profound influence on me as a student, and I credit them with cultivating and developing strong writing, critical-thinking, and analytical skills, which I continue to use every day in my profession as a lawyer. I will always be grateful to the William & Mary Philosophy Department for helping shape the person I have become today. (October 2015)
Kaley Middlebrooks Carpenter '92: relives on a daily basis her experience of delving into the big philosophical questions of life that she enjoyed while an undergraduate. As the Rocco & Gloria Barbieri Fellow in the Humanities at Villanova University, Carpenter teaches the Augustine & Culture Seminar, an interdisciplinary "Great Books" course that combines philosophy, literature, history, biblical and religious studies. (September 2014)
Rubén Rosario-Rodríguez '91: I have just published my third monograph, Dogmatics After Babel: Beyond the Theologies of Word and Culture (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), and it has a strong W&M Philosophy connection, as some of the core ideas for the book began as my senior honors paper in Prof. Earl McLane's Kierkegaard seminar many years ago! I know it has been many years, and none of my former professors remain, but my training at W&M was foundational to the scholar I have become. The book link is below. (October 2018)
https://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664261655/dogmatics-after-babel.aspx
Rubén Rosario-Rodríguez '91: I want to share the good news that my second book is being published next month by Cambridge University Press. Of course, I doubt any of my old profs are still hanging around, but the formation I received in W&M's philosophy department has taken me far! Normally I don't do much to market my academic publications, but I think this is going to be an important book with a potentially wide cultural impact, so I would love to get the word out and have many people read it! (Rubén is Associate Professor and Director, Mev Puleo Scholarship in Latin American Theology, Culture, and Politics, at the Department of Theological Studies, Saint Louis University. His new book is Martyrdom and Political Violence A Comparative Theology with Judaism and Islam. Follow the link for information.) (June 2017)
Rubén Rosario Rodríguez ('91): My first book, Racism & God-Talk: A Latino/a Perspective (NYU Press, 2008) just won the 2011 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award in Theology. (2011)
Mark Smith '91 (Philosophy and History) I'm putting my philosophy degree to work by team-teaching a BioEthics at the high school where I also teach history. September 2012
Laura Stevenson Canfield '97 I've been at IBM for nearly 10 years and was just promoted for the 4th time. I am now the Global Compensation Program Manager for IBM's consulting division. I am also married with two children, aged 4 months and 3 years. I live with my family in Westchester County, New York. September 2012
Laura Stevenson Canfield ('97): Married with a 12 month old daughter. Working at IBM since 2003 in Human Resources. Now responsible for all senior executive mobility. (2010)
