Birth date: Jun 1, 1932 Death date: Mar 13, 2016
Daniel Merrill Obituary Daniel Merrill, retired professor of philosophy at Oberlin College, passed away March 13, 2016, after a very brief hospitalization.Dan was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1932, the third of five children. Hi Read Obituary
I am very sad to learn of the passing of my beloved philosophy professor. My senior year at Oberlin, 1973-74, I was engaged in an Honors Project with Dan as my advisor. Although I was unable to complete my project due to illness, I have fond memories of the hours I spent learning my craft from Professor Merrill. May he rest in peace.
Marly, our thoughts and prayers are with you--sorry to hear about Dan. My nieces are keeping Salem a hotbed of activity. Mike and Sasha Zolik
In the spring of 1992 I visited Oberlin as a prospective student. I sat in on Professor Merrill's Modern Philosophy class and heard a lecture and discussion on Berkeley, Hume, and epistemology. (I remember a thought experiment involving chili powder played a starring role.) After the class was over I mustered my courage to approach Professor Merrill, identify myself as a prospective student, and ask a question about the topic. He immediately invited me to his office for a longer conversation. Perhaps a bit intimidated, I politely declined, but that interaction was one of the main reasons I chose Oberlin. I still remember that moment as an example of what makes Oberlin special. Later, I took that same class from him (as well as a Philosophy of Science course) on my way to a Philosophy major. Professor Merrill cut an imposing figure--he was tall and just a little bit dashing--but he was always clear, kind, collegial, and patient. (My favorite of his modest idiosyncrasies was his tendency to say "Lookit" before making a point.) Now, I teach philosophy to my students. I'm sure my work is just one small example of his important legacy. Thank you, Professor Merrill. Noah Bopp Class of 1996
