Joseph Charles Flay

Dr. Flay was an inspiring teacher. He assigned the most thought provoking task I ever had in college. The class was reading Marx's "German Ideology" and Locke's "On Civil Society." Dr. Flay told us to first write a Marxian critique of Locke followed by a Lockian critique of Marx. The discussion and debate in class was truly epic. A wonderful teacher and person.

I worked with Joe in the months before he passed and I feel intensely privileged to have met him. My quiet hours spent with him were very special to me and I find I still think of him every day; his amazing stories, his philosophy on life, his humor, kindness, generosity, and advice. I wrote the following excerpt one day while sitting with him (I found my time with him to be very inspirational): "I'm often asked why I still write in pencil, as if it's some lost art, a media useless in the...

I just came across this sad, very sad news. Joe or Dr. Flay was my teacher in the late 60's, a time of campus upheaval, yes even at Penn State. I took a number of classes with him and I remember him as a warm and generous man, encouraging honest dialogue and debate, someone who embodied courage and integrity. I remember him as well speaking to campus protest groups, both supporting the students but also urging personal responsibility for our actions. He stood out like a beacon of honesty....

I just heard about this, a bit belatedly. Joe was my teacher in the 1980s and on my thesis committee. More important, he taught me the meaning of decency combined with rigor. I still recall our intellectual battles, culminating in my thesis defense on Michel Foucault, where he commented, "You know the difference between you and Foucault? Foucault was smart enough not to be so damn consistent." I don't think I've yet plumbed the full depth of that remark. Thanks, Joe.
Todd May

Joe was my teacher and friend for four decades, from my discovery of his work on Hegel while researching doctoral programs to our periodic phone calls over the past several years. Lately our conversations were centered on movies he'd watched and how much he missed Bonnie. One of the most demanding experiences of my life was a study of Foucault that we pursued together one State College winter. Joe elicited an almost physical intensity in working through those texts. Joe's integrity as a...

We send our sincere condolences to the Flay family. Joe was our teacher at Penn State in the late 1970s and we remember fondly his enthusiasm and dedication.

My condolences to the family. Joe Flay, with his sharp insight and generous spirit, was the best dissertation director I could have asked for.

Joe Flay was my friend and teacher. Therefore a large portion of my life has been reflecting on his view of the weaknesses in Hegelian metaphysics. Joe was enamored of French ontologies. For him, Buddhism was “a sublimation.”
Joe could have been a stand-in for Gary Cooper. He was tall, thin, humble, articulate and friendly. He wore his Phi Beta Kappa key like some wear the cross. His opinion was sought after and sometimes found on the front page of the NY Times.
Joe responded each...