GERALD PRESS Obituary

PRESS--Gerald A. Hunter College mourns the loss of beloved colleague Gerald A. Press, a renowned scholar of the ancient world who inspired thousands of students with his passion for Greek philosophy during a nearly 40-year career. A dedicated teacher and mentor, he served with distinction as chair of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program from 2012 until 2020. He will be greatly missed. Our deepest sympathy to his family. Jennifer J. Raab, President, and his Hunter College colleagues

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Published by New York Times on Dec. 30, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for GERALD PRESS

8 Entries

Stanford University student: Great Works of Western Culture Class

May 2, 2025

Gerry Press: one of the best teachers I ever had the pleasure to take classes from

Dr Kenneth Weinstein

December 25, 2024

Gerald was my patient, and we always had a good conversation together. In fact, we were planning to meet socially at about the time he passed. I tried to reach a member of his family, but was unable to do so. I am very sorry for his loss, and would still appreciate contacting some member of his family.

Al Martinich

December 24, 2024

Jerry used to participate with three of Jerry's friends from graduate school at UC, San Diego on Zoom once a month: Phil Kane, David Depew, and me. We remember him fondly.

Al Martinich

December 24, 2023

We were friends for 50 years. Graduate students and members of the Board of Directors of the JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY for decades. Zoom friends for the last couple of years of his life.

Kenneth Weinstein MD

December 12, 2023

In January, I did write requesting anyone ,family or lose friend, to reach me; no one responded. I was his physician, and friend to become-which never came to pass as a result of his death. I would still wish to reach someone. My e-mail is "[email protected]". Kenneth Weinstein MD

David J Depew

January 8, 2023

Jerry's unexpected death came as a great shock and sorrow. With our classmates and fellow philosophy teachers Al Martinich and Phil Kain, we had just talked on line a few week earlier, and he seemed in good health and spirits. We have been friends since 1970 and shared a deep and abiding interest in the history of philosophy, especially ancient Greek philosophy and the tangled relation beween philosophy and rhetoric. I will miss him a lot, but am glad I got a chance to interact with him and the others recently thanks to digital communication. My deepest condolences to his family. David Depew, University of Iowa, emeritus

Kenneth Weinstein MD

January 2, 2023

I was Gerald's internist for some years, and looked forward to continuing in a more personal social way. I was shocked to learn of is death, and would so much appreciate speaking to a member of his family, or to a friend. I can be reached at "[email protected]" or 917-502-4731.Thank you

Al Martinich

January 1, 2023

Jerry and I met in 1970 at UC, San Diego. Our approaches to philosophy were different, but we were each attached intellectually to Richard Popkin, serious about the history of philosophy, and interested in doing our part to improve the department. After several years with little or not contact because we were both assistant professors in different regions of the US, we renewed and deepened our friendship because we were both elected to the Board of Directors of the Journal of the History of Philosophy (JHP) and served on the Board for nearly forty years. At the annual Board meetings, we used to meet for discussion over scotch that he kindly provided and/or dinner at a nice restaurant after the meeting usually with other people from the Board; Jim Force and Maggie Osler stand out in my mind about these dinners. Jerry and I served in significant roles and wanted it to flourish for the good of the profession but also to honor Dick Popkin, especially after he retired from the Board. From our conversations, I know that Jerry was a dedicated teacher of both undergraduates and for "mature students," who usually wanted to recover some of the intellectual life of their youth. In the last year or so, Jerry, Phil Kane, David Depew, and I met about once a month on Zoom. The discussions on philosophy, politics, society, our educational experiences were especially satisfying. One thing remained a mystery about Jerry, his admiration for the Neoplatonist Plotinus. Once intending to write a dissertation on his philosophy, I abandoned him as unintelligible. But Jerry conducted a reading group about him.

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