Brian Taylor says his former political science colleague Lawrence Thomas didn’t greet him like most people did in the hallways of Maxwell Hall or Eggers Hall, just say “hello.”

Instead, Thomas “was yelling, ‘How are you today?'” recalled Taylor, who is also director of the Moynihan Institute for International Studies.

This is just one of many anecdotes about Thomas that Taylor, his colleagues and alumni have remembered fondly in recent weeks.

Thomas, professor emeritus of political science and philosophy at the Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences, died on December 27 at the age of 76.

“He was a legendary teacher, and his lecture halls were filled with students eager to take a philosophical journey with him,” Taylor said. “As a teacher and scholar, he asked big questions about topics such as morality, friendship, and family.”

A respected political and moral philosopher, Thomas has written four books and more than 80 articles, including an essay called “Being Moral and Dealing with Truth.”

After receiving his doctorate and graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976, he held faculty positions at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as visiting appointments at the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, Harvard University, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Thomas joined Syracuse in 1989 and was named the university’s Scholar and Teacher of the Year just four years later. At the time, Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw described him as a “prominent thinker and writer in the field of ethics and social thought” and “as a first-class teacher who has contributed far and wide to Syracuse.” Syracuse Records.

Stuart Thorson, professor emeritus of political science, recalled telling Thomas about his favorite music. The next day, Thomas brought him a cassette tape containing similar music he had made for himself.

“Laurence was, not surprisingly, a wonderful colleague who was smart, funny, insightful, optimistic and always generous with his time,” Thorson said. “He always had a strong presence, even in casual conversations.”

Political science professor Audie Klotz agreed. During departmental meetings, she always sat in the “Lawrence Thomas Memorial Chair,” which was her favorite seat at such meetings until her retirement.

2007 daily orange The article about Thomas said he was known for remembering every student’s name in a lecture of 200 students, encouraging them to participate in class, and even encouraging them to yell across the room. He sometimes played rapper Snoop Dogg’s music during his lectures. He also wrote personal letters of appreciation to the “best and brightest students” known as “Pillars of Excellence”.

in the same way daily orange In the article, Thomas talked about one of the highlights of his career: the opportunity to speak at the VeerStichting Conference in the Netherlands, an event attended by the then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Thomas said he has learned a few Dutch phrases to use at the beginning of his speech to express his gratitude.

“The audience roared,” he told the student newspaper. “You thought I was a pop star.”