The purpose of this post is not so much to reveal the name of the neighbor whose life tragically ended last Monday after he jumped from his fourth floor apartment window, but to honor his memory.
Thomas Meyer, a Philosophy professor at Temple University and Penn graduate, will be greatly missed by his friends. One of them is Michelle Wallhagen who met Tom at grad school. This is what she wrote about Tom and their friendship:
Within five minutes of meeting Tom Meyer, I knew I’d never meet someone like him again. We were both starting graduate school in philosophy. Tom’s commitment to the importance of philosophizing as a way of life was immediately striking. It lent a magnetic intensity to everything he did.
Students were enchanted by him. He fulfilled their expectations of what a “real” philosopher should be like, with his brooding manner and eccentric mannerisms. And he sought to reveal to them the heart of philosophy–that the seemingly simplest questions are crucial to understanding the world and one’s place in it.
Too often brilliance and integrity do not go hand in hand, but in Tom’s case they did. When my heart was broken, when breast cancer came calling, he didn’t try to fix my pain, he walked through it with me.
He played a central role in the happiest day of my life as the minister (internet ordained) at my wedding. He was perfect for the part, earning the nickname “The Jedi” by my fiancee’s friends.
I will miss Tom’s droll humor, his sudden flashes of insight, his eccentricities, his philosophical brilliance, his vulnerability, his loyalty. But most of all, I will miss his ability to listen. He knew how to genuinely listen–not simply waiting for his turn to speak, but seeking to understand another human being’s experience of life.
August 13th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Wow- That was beautiful. What a special man he was to inspire such words.
August 14th, 2012 at 1:43 am
For what it’s worth, it meant a lot to him as well. The first time I’d ever heard of the Internet as a source of ministry… was in Tom Meyer’s classroom. He spoke to us about the event. It saddens me that Meyer will not teach anymore– but I get it– all the same.
He left an indelible mark. My instincts suggest that he taught because he had to within the confines of academica (but I could be wrong). Personally speaking, Meyer showed me at an impressionable age what it meant to live what you believed and struggle with the details. I am not lying when I say I’ve thought of his courses often and read The House of Mirth at least 3x since it was on a book list for one of his classes. He will be missed.
August 14th, 2012 at 1:45 am
*academia.
August 14th, 2012 at 7:12 am
Thank you CMF. Your words mean much to me. I’m glad to know that he was honored to be a part of our wedding.
August 14th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Thank you, Michelle, for helping me remember Tom. Your words ring true of his character and intensity. I didn’t know him well enough to understand the compassion he must of had to help you deal with the trials of cancer, but I now wish I had. It saddens me deeply to imagine what thoughts could bring him to take his life. But it warms me to learn of the impact he had on his friends and students.
August 14th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Michelle, I did not know this gentleman, except for meeting him at your wedding. However, after reading this, I almost feel like I did know him. I can feel your pain and I sympathize with you guys. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful tribute in writing. Love you….
August 15th, 2012 at 9:12 am
Thank you Mike, Michelle and all for putting a face on this, otherwise anonymous, person. Tom sounds like a very interesting guy who I would have like to have met or taken his class. We all deserve the acknowledgement of being human, familiar to someone, and not simply a crime or media statistic. It reminds me of the children’s song written by (country) Joe McDonald: I’m so glad I got a face, I got a face, I got a face
I’m so glad I got a face, Cause I’m a member of the human race.
When we put a face on anything/anyone, it becomes personal, familial; it happens to me.
August 15th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Tom was a dearly beloved patron on Metropolitan Bakery. Our staff would very much like to send our condolences to his family or attend a memorial service. If anyone know to whom we should send our condolences or where the service is planned please stop by the store at 40th and Walnut or email me at becky.flax@gmail.com. Thank you
August 15th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Ditto. If there is a memorial being held or somewhere to send along condolences, please email me at quiztine@gmail.com. Thank you.
August 16th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Would love to know if there is a memorial service or any kind of remembrance for him, I was one of his students for three years and he was my favorite professor in the department and I always respected his deep pedagogy. please email me : tcosta@temple.edu
August 16th, 2012 at 11:41 pm
Professor Meyer was such a great influence in my life during the time he taught me. I learned a lot from him and appreciated very much the faith he had in me. He was a very intelligent man and I will miss hving casual conversations with him when we ran into each other. My condolenses go out to him and his family.
August 22nd, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Prof Meyer was my favorite teacher at Temple University. He was my first philosophy professor and I continually sought him out for my future classes. I had the pleasure to have him for two classes and was scheduled to have him again this fall. I am in shock with this news and I will miss him immensely. He was in every aspect true to himself and his character, although eccentric, exuded an amazing heart and passion for philosophy and his students. Although he is no longer with us in person, I know his influence will continue to be felt amongst those who’ve met and loved him. I certainly will miss him. My condolences to his family. Please email me at ian.malis11@gmail.com if you know of a memorial service.
August 22nd, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Professor Meyer had a greatly positive impact on my life, and I can say with firm declaration that his contributions and presence at Temple University will be missed. Tom fueled my philosophical and overall academic pursuits with his abundance of wisdom, dry humor, and clever remarks/mannerisms. I will never forget what I learned from him, inside and outside the classroom. Shame to lose a man with such tremendous potential. Please email me tuc14725@temple.edu for any information on a Memorial Service. My condolences to friends and family.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Thank you everyone for sharing your memories and caring for Tom. I have been the only contact available regarding Tom’s death for non-relatives and have taken on the responsibility for following up with many people and pursuing leads regarding what happened. It has been very stressful. I can no longer contact everyone individually. I have heard that there will be a memorial at Temple, likely in October. Details will be listed on the philosophy dept. website when available. Please check there for information. Again, thank you all for your comments. It hurts to see how much Tom was cared for and to think he may not have realized how he touched people’s lives. But it helps me to hear how he was appreciated.
September 3rd, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Colleagues, students and friends are warmly invited to attend and participate in a memorial gathering for Dr. Thomas Meyer, which will be held on Friday, October 12th at 3 p.m. in Room 1221 Anderson Hall, Temple University. Tom was a long term Lecturer based in the Philosophy Department and the Intellectual Heritage Program. He taught Mosaic I and II and developed popular courses such as Philosophy of the Human and Landscape of American Thought. He died on August 6, 2012. The event is being organized by a Philosophy Department committee composed of faculty, graduate students and undergraduates, and it will be followed by a reception to which all are welcome. The reception will be sponsored by the Philosophy Department, the Intellectual Heritage Program, the Center for Afro-Jewish Studies, and the Institute for the Study of Race and Social Thought. Please direct any questions to Professor Miriam Solomon (msolomon@temple.edu)
September 3rd, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Dear Friends of Tom, This is unrelated to the events of Tom’s death, but something having to do more with his teaching specialty. I’ve been listening for some time to Prof. Rick Roderick’s “The Self Under Seige: Philosophy in the 20th Century” (1993). It was part of the Great Teachers series. Prof. Roderick’s West-Texas drawl, humor and ability to make the great ideas significant and relevant to today, made him a well-beloved teacher to his students. Prof. Roderick’s critique of the various philosophies that have led to today’s ruling belief systems included the knowledge establishment, ensconced in the halls of higher learning. This put him at odds with the tenure granting mechanism at Duke, where he taught. He was also critical of religious and political conservatism and gave real life examples from the political scene. Prof. Roderick wasn’t shy in naming names of popular and powerful figures of that time, which probably landed him in hot water more than once. As long as philosophy remained harmless and abstract it could be tolerated indefinitely. Rick’s family background was in the labor movement and so he came from a worker’s critique of the power establishment. Rick died prematurely from a heart attack putting an end to a promising, ongoing and no doubt controversial career sharpening minds. With hope, I pass this along to those students who found some relevance of Tom’s work to their lives and world.
September 9th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
I had a philiosophy class taught by professor Meyer. He was the coolest professor and the first professor I had at temple. He always had a green tea in hand and played jazz music during his lecture. He inspired me to read tons of great books and thanks to him I read a biography on martin
Luther king that I was completely amazed by and read it over and over. Tom was an inspirational man and it is such a shame to lose such a wonderful thing. Thanks for everything Tom.
September 20th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Thomas Meyer.
I shall always remember him. He embodied everything that a great philosophy professor should be.
Incredible intelligence, composition, coolness, logical, understanding but yet dominant through his existential personality.
My entire life I will remember this man, I never looked forward to going to office hours to chat as much as I did with Dr. Meyer. I am incredibly saddened that I will be unable to take my 3rd class with him, he was worth the credits, my time and much, much more.
We are always plagued with the question, “Why?”
This will truly haunt me for the rest of my life, I’ve never met such a person with such poise and composition, his carefully selected words and movements seemed like something out of a movie. He was one of those rare people that really embodied a specific character, he had such passion.
Men like Tom were the reason I study philosophy, his incredible warmth and welcoming presence was almost too good to be true, he actually enjoyed philosophical discussion with students. I wish I had visited him everyday, there was so much intelligence and knowledge to be gained. I absolutely am fascinated with existentialism, nietzsche and wittgenstein and Tom was the guy I loved to go to for any of these questions, regardless if they were questions from other classes or not.
Forever remembering such an inspirational man.
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:21 pm
I’m in shock. I was Tom’s college roommate and longtime friend. I just opened the new issue of the alumni magazine and, for some reason, looked at the obituaries for the first time in years and discovered Tom’s name. I had just erased the last phone message from Tom in my voicemail, have been thinking so much lately about his last update on his book project — that he had come to realize that the central notion he wanted to get across was that the universe somehow cares for humanity, that some kind of philanthropia is active in the cosmos. He was also excited to discover a spread in the Metro section of the Washington Post that featured two old men who had been living out in the woods near Tom’s parents’ home for some decades. Tom was convinced that they were the same men who, when he was a boy, had pulled him from the creek into which he had slipped while playing with friends. I wish Tom had known how fondly so many people thought of him and how much impact he was actually having on them.
Michelle, thank you for sparking this post — I wouldn’t have been able to find out anything without it. I can’t believe Tom’s been gone already over two months — I’m not sure what to do with that. I will try to get in touch with you by mail. If you have time, look me up on Drew University’s website.