Affectionately known as "Fr. Braveheart" by my students who continue to employ one of his texts in Philosophy of Nature classses, Fr. William Augustine Wallace, O.P., passed away yesterday. He was 96.
I quote one of my former students, Catherine Peters, who writes: "Please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Fr. William A. Wallace, OP who passed away on Tuesday evening (reportedly while praying compline with his fellow Dominicans; how beautiful!) Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace."
Another one of my students once composed a Canticle making use of the impressively technical vocabulary of Fr. Wallace in his book, The Modeling of Nature: The Philosophy of Science and the Philosophy of Nature in Synthesis (Catholic University of America Press, 1996), and the men of the Seminary choir recorded a CD of its performance of the piece, which I had the pleasure of sending to Fr. Wallace several years ago. He responded that he would like to see future printings of his book carry a CD, which delighted the seminarians.
- Fr. William Wallace, RIP (Thomistica, March 4, 2015): He died last night.
- "Passing of Fr. Robert Alan Morris and Fr. William Augustine Wallace" (Dominican Friars, Province of St. Joseph, March 4, 2015)
- Who was Fr. William Wallace? "Fr. William A. Wallace, O.P., Ad Multos Annos" (Dominican History, May 8, 2008): Curriculum Vitae
"In addition to his teaching and publishing, Fr. Wallace served as the Director General of the Leonine Commission for the editing of the Latin texts of St. Thomas Aquinas from 1976-1987. Fr. Wallace’s funeral will be held at St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, DC on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 10:30 am."
An intellectual giant and a tough guy to boot. His book on scientific realism is now on my reading list. Thank you PP for bringing his work to our attention. RFGA, Ph.D.
ReplyDelete'Eternal rest grant unto Father Wallace, oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in the peace of Christ.' Amen.
So did he undergo a substantial or accidental change? 😈
ReplyDeleteVictor
Victor,
ReplyDeleteProbably a (temporary) bit of the one and a (more permanent) bit of the other, although I suppose it depends whether you're a Thomist or a Suarezian or McDermottist or Salasian or whatever.