Stuart E. Rosenbaum

August 15, 1943 - December 14, 2020

Stuart Evan Rosenbaum, 77, passed away unexpectedly and peacefully at his home in Hewitt, TX, on Monday, December 14, 2020. A virtual service, hosted by Lake Shore Baptist Church, will give the family and friends that loved him dearly a chance to share their memories with the community. The service is scheduled at 3 p.m., January 10, 2021. Please email Lake Shore Baptist Church: [email protected] for an invitation and Zoom link to attend. Stuart's family invites all of his friends to join in celebrating his life with them.

Stuart was born on August 15, 1943, in Indianapolis, Indiana, along with his twin brother, Stephen. He spent many summers as a boy with his grandparents on their farm in Indiana. These were transformative experiences for him. He loved the satisfaction of accomplishing hard work together; the supportive community; and relaxing on a blanket in the yard in the evening, enjoying a cola with his grandfather.

In 1966, Stuart married Jeanie Watson in Wichita Falls, TX, remaining married until 1980 and having two children, Melissa and Michael. In 1992, he married Julie Christian in Waco, TX, remaining married until 2011 and having two children, Sarah and David.

Stuart received his BA in Philosophy and English from Baylor University in 1965. After studying theology at Harvard Divinity School in 1965, he was drawn to further study of philosophy. He earned his MA in Philosophy from the University of Nebraska in 1968, followed by his PhD in Philosophy from Brown University in 1972.

Stuart taught for nearly 40 years at Baylor, focusing on American philosophy, especially the work of John Dewey and William James. For many years, he was Director of Baylor's graduate program in philosophy, and he was the key figure in designing its PhD program. Stuart served multiple terms on the Faculty Senate and twice earned Baylor's Outstanding Faculty Member Award. He also led Baylor's summer program at Oxford for a number of years. He touched countless lives through his teaching. Stuart officially retired from the Department of Philosophy in 2019, but he continued to write and correspond with professional colleagues about the ideas in his scholarly writing. He was enormously productive during his later years, recently writing three books: Pragmatism and the Reflective Life (2009); Recovering Integrity: Moral Thought in American Pragmatism (2015); and Race, Justice, and American Intellectual Traditions (2018).

He was preceded in death by parents, Earl and Dorothy Rosenbaum. He is survived by daughter, Melissa; son, Michael and spouse, Sarah; daughter, Sarah; son, David; grandchildren, Caleb, Carson, Evan, and Guthrie; and brother, Stephen and spouse, Joan.

Stuart was deeply devoted to his children and grandchildren, and they celebrate his influence on their lives. He inspired in them a love of nature and a recognition of spirit in all forms. His presence fostered an appreciation of language, poetry, and music and encouraged curiosity, inquiry, and pursuit of knowledge. Stuart's gentle, patient, and generous nature -- and, most of all, his unconditional love -- gave them a strong foundation to follow their passions and thrive as unique individuals. He provided them with a deep appreciation of the human condition and the spiritual value of community.

Stuart's words will continue to support, guide, and inspire us:

"Breathe Deep and Seek Peace." "It's Wonderful."

The family would like to establish an endowed memorial fund in Stuart's name, at Baylor. If you would like to contribute to this fund, more information will be available at the time of the virtual memorial service.

Additionally, gifts may be made in Stuart's honor to The LivLyme Foundation (www.livlymefoundation.org) and to the Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org).

Share a memory or leave a message at www.oakcrestwaco.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Waco Tribune-Herald on Dec. 20, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Stuart Rosenbaum

Sponsored by OakCrest Funeral Home - Waco.

6 Entries

Glenn McGee

January 6, 2021

I will never cease to cherish my endless memories of visiting Stuart's office while I was an undergraduate at Baylor. We'd all hang out around the door and come bug him, because he was just so damn fascinating. He had this amazing way about him, curious in the extreme, gently cynical, interested in things to the degree that they mattered. I came to know Richard Rorty through him, and what a gift that was, and his way of talking and thinking about what it means and what it is worth to "know" something as a truth shaped my own views. Only after I left Baylor did I realize how rare are philosophy faculty like Stuart. Later, in grad school, all the other schmucks like me who chose to do philosophy PhD's would talk about where we came from, and who taught us, and not a soul I met then or since has had stories like the ones I could tell of spending hours with philosophy faculty like Stuart at Baylor. I wonder whether someone could look at how many of his students went on to become amazing academics and I surmise that the number is not zero, but I'm confident more importantly that the number of those students who had him for a couple of classes and went on to live more interesting lives (no matter what they did) is a large one. Stuart was not doctrinaire, not bored by teaching, not stuck in the language of obscurity or driven by the need to disrupt. When I knew him he was interested in the meaning of science and truth and value, and if you were as well, he had time for you. He had the reductive insightfulness of the early Wittgenstein and the optimism of the late Dewey, or so it seemed to me as a kid. I was starstruck. Few academics I've ever known more vividly illustrated the way that the love and pursuit of ideas animates a life well lived. I'd say I hope he rests in peace but somehow I'm pretty sure Stuart is already smiling and debating something with the folks in the realm where he now resides.

Sandra (Mitchell) Matthews

January 1, 2021

I was so shocked and saddened to hear of Stuart's death. I first met Stuart when he and his family joined Bethany Baptist Church in Dallas around 1958. I had my first "car date" with Stuart to the Sweetheart Banquet at church, when I was 14 years old and he was 15, but we didn't start dating steadily until after a youth retreat on Feb. 19-20, 1960. We went together through all my high school years and into my sophomore year (Stuart's senior year) at Baylor. Stuart was a very dedicated Christian and a leader in all the church youth programs at Bethany. We enjoyed many movies, concerts, plays, school and church functions together. We shared years of wonderful times and a few very trying ones. As my first love, Stuart will always hold a special place in my heart and will never be forgotten.

Lance Harris

December 25, 2020

I was a student of his twice once for logic and the other American philosophy. I was constantly awed by his calmness and patience with me and I could tell that he loved his subject that he was teaching. I am saddened to hear about his passing. Prayers of peace and loving kindness for his family and friends.

Linda Faust

December 20, 2020

The news of Stuart´s death brings much sadness. I am at a loss for words at this sorrowful time. May loving memories bring you peace, comfort and strength. I love you all.

Mike & Tess Shafer

December 20, 2020

Michael, Our thoughts are with you. Blessings to your family.

Keith Lovin

December 20, 2020

Stuart was my best friend. From freshman year at Baylor to the present, we shared 60 years of experiences and created countless memories together. For the past decade and a half we have been close enough for regular long weekends together. Stuart was last with us twelve days before he died, and he planned to come back the weekend of his death. Stuart was my philosophical compass. In the recent past we were doing some serious philosophy together, reading and discussing Bryan Magee´s Confessions of a Philosopher, and his last book, Ultimate Questions. He also greatly contributed to my philosophical growth by reading and discussing with me John Dewey´s Art as Experience, and Rebecca Goldstein´s Betraying Spinoza. Most recently we have been discussing David Bohm´s Wholeness and the Implicate Order. And he was sending me the chapters of the book he was currently writing as he finished them. I shall miss his tutelage enormously. I am who I am in many ways because of Stuart. To my mind, Stuart was a professor of philosophy in the grand tradition of Baylor´s " Golden Era" of philosophy, along with people such as Jack Kilgore, Hayward Shuffard, Bill Toland, Elmer Duncan, and Bob Baird. Among my favorite memories of Stuart is our fly fishing trip to New Zealand in February of 2020 along with his twin brother, Steve. Stuart will always occupy a special place in my storehouse of good memories.

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