William James Prior

William J. Prior, "Bill" to all who knew him, was born on May 16, 1946 in Rutland, Vermont to Raymond and Marion Prior. His father was a career Army officer and his mother cared for him. He grew up in Vermont, Arlington, Virginia, and Stuttgart, Germany. He went to college at Michigan State University and majored in Classical Studies, concentrating in Greek Philosophy. Bill had a lifelong love of the Greeks and of philosophy, in particular the philosophies of Plato and Socrates. He attended graduate programs at Cornell University and the University of Texas at Austin where he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1975. During a season of alternate service Bill met his wife Margaret and they married in April of 1971.

He taught philosophy from 1975 to 1986 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was blessed to serve a variety of institutions as a fellow or professor in that season, taking the family to Madison, Wisconsin, the University of Virginia, and UCLA. In the fall of 1986, Bill began teaching at Santa Clara University where he remained until his retirement in 2013.

He served at various times as Chair of the Philosophy Department, Director of the Honors Program, and the first Director of the University's Residential Learning Communities program. Bill and Peg also lived for a year at Cambridge while Bill was a visiting fellow at Clare Hall. Over the course of his career Bill published over twenty articles and numerous reviews, mainly in ancient Greek philosophy. He authored four books: He continued to work on Greek philosophy until his death.

Bill is survived by his wife Peg and their children: Nancy, Jennifer(John), David(Tiffany), and grandchildren Ellie, Calvin, and Isaac; their son Ryan preceded him in death. Bill faced several health challenges in the course of his life but did not allow these issues to prevent him from working or being an active member of his family. He was devoted to his wife Peg and to his children and grandchildren. Bill's major leisure time interests were reading and listening to music. He always loved to travel; in his later years he and Peg and Nancy especially enjoyed cruises, which took them to many places: Alaska, the Panama Canal, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and New England, and the Eastern and Western Mediterranean.

He considered himself a follower of Jesus of Nazareth and his life was directed by Jesus' two great commandments to love God and one's neighbor.

He taught often in the adult education programs as a church member. Bill brought his experience of reading ancient texts and of the study of philosophy to the understanding of Christianity. He was seriously interested in the study of scripture and theology. His life was always characterized by deep friendships as well as love for his family, which gave meaning to his life.