In Memoriam: Gary Fuller

It is with sadness and a profound sense of loss that we note the passing of our friend and colleague, Gary Fuller, who passed away March 3. 

Fuller was an emeritus faculty member in the Department of Philosophy, Anthropology and Religion at Central Michigan University. He established the Fuller Endowed Scholarship in 2014, to support undergrad and graduate students majoring or minoring in philosophy.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date. Memorial Contributions in Gary’s honor may be made to the Fuller Endowed Scholarship at Central Michigan University. Please share your memories and condolences with Gary’s family online by visiting the Clark Funeral Chapel website.

Tribute to Gary Fuller

Written by Rob Noggle

In his self-deprecating way, Gary would often call himself a “philosophical dilettante.” In truth, he lived and breathed philosophy. But more than that, Gary was a living, breathing, walking, talking encyclopedia of philosophy. In a discipline increasingly driven to specialization, he was a true generalist—in the best sense. He was equally at home with the great figures of multiple historical traditions as he was with cutting edge work in analytic philosophy and cognitive science.

But even the great span of philosophy was not enough to quench Gary’s ravenous curiosity. He read avidly and deeply in the sciences and humanities as well. One would be hard pressed to find someone more well-read than Gary, or to find a topic about which Gary could not converse intelligently. Despite all this, Gary was the model of intellectual humility, an embodiment of the Socratic idea that true wisdom comes from acknowledging the limits of one’s own understanding. As if that wasn’t enough, Gary was an avid and gifted musician, given to sharing his virtuoso performances at piano to enliven many a night at the Brass and elsewhere. 

Gary was a lively, sometimes provocative conversationalist, willing to talk, debate, joke, and regale with stories of his colorful life. This could be a mixed blessing at times, as conversations with Gary could take on a life of their own, leading to missed freeway exits, meetings going overtime, and other minor mishaps. But conversation with someone was Gary’s preferred mode of enjoying the time spent with that person. It was Gary’s way of celebrating the life of the mind and, at the same time, celebrating the mind of his conversational partners. Gary’s love of conversation made it natural for him to do much of his published research in collaboration with colleagues—a marked departure from philosophy’s tendency to be a single-author discipline.

Gary was a kind person.  He was always the first to congratulate his colleagues on their accomplishments, and celebrate their triumphs. He was often even more excited about a colleague’s success than the colleague whose success it was. He was an enthusiastic and generous host, and a lively guest. He was generous with his time, talents, and intellect. He was a passionate teacher, eager to share the life of the mind and the pleasures of the intellect with future generations.

Countless students are smarter, wiser, and more willing to ask the tough questions and think creatively about how to answer them, because of Gary’s time in the classroom. His generosity and passion for philosophy led him to endow the annual Fuller Award to recognized and encourage students majoring in philosophy. This will be one just one part of the rich legacy that he leaves to his students, colleagues, and friends.