Norman S. Care Papers

Norman Sidney Care was born in Gary, Indiana on December 20, 1937, the son of J. Norman (d. July 21, 1977) and Anne Baron Care (d. May 16, 1992). In 1959, he received a BA in music from Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) and in 1961 an MA in philosophy from the University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas). In 1961-62, he began doctoral studies at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut), under a Bushnell Fellowship. The following year (1962-63), he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for study and research at Oxford University (Oxford, England). After an additional year of study at Yale, he was awarded the PhD degree (1964).

Mr. Care remained at Yale during 1964-65 serving as an instructor in philosophy. He then accepted a position as assistant professor of philosophy at Oberlin College, the institution he served for the rest of his career, becoming associate professor in 1969 and professor in 1976. He twice served as chairman of the philosophy department: 1974-78 and 1993-97. In 1975-76 he was Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana, Illinois).

Professor Care’s reading and writing interests were in moral theory, moral psychology, political philosophy and the philosophy of art. These interests are reflected in his many writings on issues of both academic and social concern. He was the author of three books: On Sharing Fate (Temple University Press, 1987); Living With One’s Past: Personal Fates and Moral Pain (Rowan & Littlefield, 1996); Decent People (Rowan & Littlefield, 2000) and the editor of three: Readings in the Theory of Action (with Charles Landesman); Perception and Personal Identity (with Robert H. Grimm); and Issues in Law and Morality (with Thomas K. Trelogan). His more than twenty-five articles and essays appeared in a wide range of periodicals including The New Republic, The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Mind, Ethics, The Review of Metaphysics, Public Art Dialogue, and Environmental Ethics as well as numerous Oberlin College publications.

In addition, Professor Care was a guest lecturer at many colleges and universities: Ripon College (Ripon, Wisconsin), Colorado State University (Fort Collins, Colorado), Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, Michigan), the University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin), and the State University of New York at Albany. He was also frequently invited to present papers at conferences and symposia, both in the United States and abroad. He reviewed and refereed books and papers for many presses work that demonstrated the breadth of his interests and expertise: medical ethics, the environment, feminism, political activism and tolerance.

During his career, Professor Care’s research and writing were supported by many grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities (3); and several from Oberlin College. He was an active member of the American Association of University Professors, The American Philosophical Association, and the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy. For many years he was active in the work of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland), serving on the Professional Advisory Committee, supervising student projects, and making presentations on biomedical issues. He was an invited participant in the First Global Generations Kyoto (Japan) Forum and the Conference of Future Generations in Toronto (1994). He frequently served as an outside evaluator on issues of tenure and promotion for universities throughout the United States: The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio); the University of Michigan Law School (Ann Arbor, Michigan); Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York); the University of Redlands (Redlands, California); the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia), and many others.

As well as being a respected scholar, Professor Care was an outstanding leader and a thoughtful, inspiring teacher. For over thirty years his introductory course in philosophy was enrolled to capacity. He expected students to do their best and supported their efforts; he listened to them, often commenting that “I’ll have to go away and think about that.” And he did (“Care’s Death Touches Us All”). “Norm Care was one of the very best professors on the Oberlin faculty.... He helped Oberlin students and the community, including me, think about life in new and wonderful ways” (Nancy S. Dye). He also sought to keep the college open to new directions. He was instrumental in advancing institutional commitments for Women’s Studies, Environmental Studies, the Law and Society, and the freshman-sophomore colloquia programs. In 1981-82, the college granted Professor Care a McCandless Curriculum Development Fellowship to help support his developing courses on the philosophy of art. In 1991, the Sears-Roebuck Foundation awarded him a Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership award. Ohio Magazine named him one of sixteen “star professors” in Ohio in 1992. In 2000, Oberlin College bestowed upon him its Distinguished Teaching Award.

Norman Sidney Care married Barbara Basset in August 1958. The couple had two children: Steven Brooks (b. March 21, 1964) and Jennifer L. (b. February 8, 1968, class of 1990). He died of brain cancer at Kendal at Oberlin on September 4, 2001.

Sources Consulted

“Care’s Death Touches All.” The Oberlin Review. September 7, 2001, 8.

Care, Norman S. Curriculum Vita. March 2000.

Care, Norman S. Oberlin College Biographical Form. undated.

Dye, Nancy S. [Letter] To the Oberlin Community. September 5, 2001.

“Norman S. Care: Professor of Philosophy at Oberlin College, Writer.” The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio). September 11, 2001.

“Norman Sydney [sic] Care.” Oberlin News-Tribune. September 11, 2001, 2.

“Oberlin College Professor Wins Sears-Roebuck Foundation Teaching Award.” Oberlin College News Services. May 20, 1991.

“Prof’s Grants Will Help OC add Courses.” Oberlin News-Tribune. February 12, 1981.

Purvis, Meghan. “Professor Norman Care Dies.” The Oberlin Review. September 7, 2001, 1.

Wheeler, Hannah. “Norman Care Speaks at Honors Day Assembly.” The Oberlin Grape. May 11, 2000, 3.

Note written by Elizabeth Brinkman.