Yesterday, longtime Notre Dame philosophy professor David Solomon passed away. Solomon had been on the Notre Dame faculty since 1968 and retired only in 2016. He is best known for being the founding director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. Started in 1999, the Center for Ethics and Culture has a great reputation for organizing events in the Catholic intellectual tradition and strengthening Notre Dame’s Catholic identity. Its events consistently attract attendees from both on and off campus.
It was under David’s leadership that the Center for Ethics and Culture sponsored an alternative commencement for pro-life students, faculty, and staff when Notre Dame selected President Obama as the commencement speaker in 2009. It was also under David’s leadership that the Center for Ethics and Culture launched the Vita Institute in 2011. The Vita Institute provides a week’s worth of pro-life instruction to pro-life activists from across the country and around the world. It is no exaggeration to say that hundreds of pro-lifers have received high quality academic instruction on sanctity-of-life issues because of David’s leadership.
On a personal note: David was always exceptionally warm and gracious. He was a convert to the Catholic faith. He taught and mentored countless Notre Dame students. Even after his retirement, he was still a regular at Center for Ethics and Culture events. He was able to attend the most recent fall conference. David was a great friend to the pro-life movement. He will be missed. R.I.P.