Thomas English Hill ’29 of Chapel Hill, N.C., died July 8, 2006. He spent his early years in Richmond and Fayetteville, and graduated from Davidson College and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond. After studying in Germany and Scotland, he earned a doctorate in theology from the University of Edinburgh.
He taught briefly at King College and Southwestern [Rhodes] College and did post-doctoral study at Harvard before a long and successful career teaching and writing philosophy at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
His five books concerned ethics, knowledge, meaning, and “a good life.” He was an esteemed teacher and colleague influential in the academic development of the college.
He enjoyed more than fifty years of marriage to Sara Armfield, a graduate of Agnes Scott College and a teacher of physics and mathematics. They retired to Chapel Hill in 1974, and even after her death, ten years later, he continued to write and take part in local philosophy discussions.
A national AAU wrestling champion in 1929, he remained devoted to tennis and exercise for many years. Survivors include his daughters Sara P. Hill and Mary A. Hill (John Anderson); son Thomas E. Hill, Jr. (Robin Hill); four grandchildren, Thomas Hill, David Porter, Noelle Parker, Kenneth Hill; and five great-grandchildren, Nathaniel Porter, Austin Parker, Nicholas Porter, Kelsey Parker, and Dylan Parker.