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Minor Myers, Jr., 17th president of Illinois Wesleyan University, student of political philosophy, and passionate advocate for the liberal arts, passed away on July 22, 2003 in Bloomington, Illinois. He was 60 years old.
Myers was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1942. In 1964 he earned a bachelor's degree from Carleton College in Minnesota. Undertaking graduate studies first at Duke University and then at Princeton University, he completed a master's degree at Princeton in 1967. The following year he took a faculty position at Connecticut College. He completed his Ph.D. in politics and political philosophy at Princeton in 1972. His dissertation, titled "British Laws of Nature, 1640-1785," was an early example of Myers' life-long fascination with Anglo-American philosophy, history, and law.
Rising through the ranks to become department chair at Connecticut College, Myers taught mainly political theory. His interests were wide, including American and European history and the arts. He was, according to Bill Frasure, professor of government and former colleague to Myers at Connecticut College, "fascinated with just about everything. He had a fast and wide-ranging mind." Easily among the most popular teachers at the college, waiting lists regularly developed to enroll in his classes. He was funny, articulate, and a good lecturer. He had, according to Frasure, a huge following. His innovative ideas regarding curriculum were a tremendous boon to that institution. Myers' dedication...