Richard Wolters ’66

Richard Wolters ’66, 72, passed away, Saturday, February 04, 2017. He was born October 24, 1944, in St. Louis, Mo., to Mark J. Wolters and Anne Melegh Wolters. He had a B.A. in philosophy from Hope College in Holland, Mich., and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Mass. He was professor of philosophy at Doane College in Crete; chair of the Division of Arts and Humanities, and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion.

As an engaged faculty leader, he was instrumental in establishing the honors program, as well as taking on other important leadership roles at Doane. Dick served on the Doane campus Fulbright committee and helped students prepare for this prestigious award. in the 1980’s, Dick chaired the committee that spent a year revising the general education plan (the Doane Plan), which lasted for more than 20 years.

In addition, he was the first director of the Master of Arts in Administration program. For all his contributions to Doane, Dick was given the Hansen Leadership Award (the Bulldog). After retiring in 2010, he continued to teach occasional courses, but then increasingly turned his attention to his avocation, playing the cello.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy Taft Whitman; brother, Douglas (Coriolana Simon); daughter, Heather (Steve) Hart; son, Mark (Stephanie) Wolters; grandchildren, Sofia Hart, Sebastian Hart, Brennan Wolters and Braden Wolters, as well as four stepsons and their wives, fourteen step-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Georgette Phyllis Simon Wolters, as well as his parents.

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