Dwight Van de Vate Jr., former professor in the Department of Philosophy, died Saturday, August 25, at the age of 84. Van de Vate came to UT in 1966 and remained a faculty member until his retirement in 1999.
His family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 28, at Bridges Funeral Home, 5430 Rutledge Pike, Knoxville. A service will follow.
Van de Vate was a US Navy veteran and a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from Yale University. Before coming to Knoxville, Van de Vate taught at Florida State University, the University of Mississippi, and Memphis State University.
He was active in many civic causes, such as serving on a review committee for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, and volunteering with the Prisoner’s Aid Society. Van de Vate was the author of the book Romantic Love: A Philosophical Inquiry, and at the time of his death was collaborating with friend and colleague Tom Hood on a compilation of lectures on the work of noted sociologist Erving Goffman.
The Knoxville News Sentinel wrote of Van de Vate’s passing here. Read his full obituary here.