Arthur Stephen McGrade, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut Storrs, died at his home in Florida on 11 June 2025. Steve was a dedicated scholar, a skilled teacher, and a profoundly gracious colleague, and remained active in his research until very late in his life. He had a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Cambridge. He began at the University of Connecticut Storrs in 1964, where he remained until he retired in 1997. Steve was known for his expertise in medieval political thought, especially that of William Ockham, and in the development of English political and religious thought, particularly the work of Richard Hooker. Among his many publications are The Political Thought of William Ockham (1974), and as editor The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Philosophy (2003), and Richard Hooker Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity A Critical Edition with Modern Spelling 3 vols. (2013 included in the Oxford Classics Online ). Further, with John Kilcullen he edited Cambridge Translations of Medieval Philosophical Texts: Ethics and Politics (2000), and William Ockham, A Letter to the Friars Minor (1995).
He was very active in professional societies, and regularly gave papers at conferences throughout the world. What these words do not capture is his lively humor, his delighted laugh, his kind and serious guidance of students, and his commitment to living a life defined by thoughtful Christianity. These qualities are what people will remember about Steve, and why they will smile when they think of him.
Stephen E. Lahey, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with additions by Jo McGrade