Van Meter Ames (July 9, 1898[1] — November 9, 1985) was an American academic and educator who served as a professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati. From 1959 until 1966, he was the head of the university's philosophy department.[2] In 1976, the American Humanist Association designated him as a fellow for "outstanding contributions to humanist thought in ethics and aesthetics".[3]
Van Meter Ames | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 9, 1898 De Soto, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | November 9, 1985 (aged 87) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Spouse | Betty Breneman |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Edward Scribner Ames (father) Mabel Van Meter Ames (mother) |
| Relatives | Scribner Ames (sister) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Chicago (AB, PhD) |
| Thesis | The Aesthetics of the Novel (1924) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Aesthetics |
| Institutions | University of Cincinnati Cornell University University of Texas Columbia University |
Ames was a founding member of the American Society for Aesthetics, serving as its president from 1961 to 1962. He had also served as the president of the American Philosophical Association's Western Division from 1959 to 1960.[4] In 1965, Ames contributed to the Congressional bill that established the National Foundation for the Endowment of the Arts and Humanities and was a member of its founding national committee.[2]
Early life and education
editAmes was born on July 9, 1898, in De Soto, Iowa. His father, the theologian and pastor Edward Scribner Ames, had served as the chairman of the philosophy department at the University of Chicago and championed the philosophy of the Chicago school.[1] After the family moved to Chicago, Ames would go on to enroll in the University of Chicago, where he completed his PhD in philosophy with his dissertation, The Aesthetics of the Novel, in 1924.[5]
Awards and honors
editIn 1948, Ames was granted a Rockefeller grant to study philosophy in France.[4] From 1958 until 1959, a Fulbright scholarship enabled him to study as a research professor at Komazawa University in Japan.[5][6]
In 1976, the American Humanist Association designated him as a humanist fellow for outstanding contributions to humanist thought in ethics and aesthetics.[7]
Personal life
editAmes was married to Betty Breneman, with whom he had three children: Sanford Scribner Ames, Damaris Ames, and Christine Ames Cornish.[8]
Selected works
edit- Ames, Van Meter (1924). The Aesthetics of the Novel. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
References
edit- ^ a b Hull 2013, p. 609.
- ^ a b "Finding aid for the Van Meter Ames Book Collection". ead.ohiolink.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
- ^ "Educator Van Meter Ames, 87". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ a b Duncan 1981, p. 99.
- ^ a b "Obituaries: Van Meter Ames, UC Professor". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 6, 1985. p. 31. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Proceeds to Strike A Balance". The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 7, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Mullane, Harvey (1986). "Van Meter Ames 1898 - 1985". Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association. 59 (3): 469–469. ISSN 0065-972X.
- ^ "Ames, Van Meter, 1898- - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
Sources
edit- Hull, Richard T. (2013). The American Philosophical Association Centennial Series. American Philosophical Association.
- Duncan, Elmer H. (1981). "Van Meter Ames: An Examination and Appraisal of His Philosophy of Art". The Journal of Aesthetic Education. 15 (4): 97–113 – via JSTOR.