Introduction (1963)
His high school students probably knew Neil O'Doherty better than I did; in fact, I was never officially his student at all. But of the many people from whom I have learned, Neil was the one whose words first let me see that everything we are taught "fits in," that it is life's connections that lead to real understanding. That poetry, philosophy, and the arts reflect the same reality. That truth matters.
I first met him while watching a Comets basketball game circa December 1963, and I last saw him on a spring afternoon in 1965. During that time, I was one of a large handful of students, most of them members of the HHS class of 1964, for whom he led a series of discussions not connected with any school curriculum (although he was then on the faculty of the Junior High). It began with an introduction to Epistemology - was this the seed from which his Introduction to Philosophy later sprouted?
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In 1964, I got used to seeing two very different aspects of Neil. At his best (I thought), he was contemplative, admiring the thought processes of great philosophers. At other times, he was militant, ardently debating, reveling in his own defense of truth as he knew it. I could not always reconcile the two Neils back then. Can I do that now? Well, at least I can understand them better, for I no longer am seventeen, and I know more of what Neil knew then. I never did get to know what he thought of Bob Dylan's writing, but invoking these words seems appropriate at this point:
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I, proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now
I hope in a subsequent article, perhaps in June, to present others' thoughts of Neil, collected from students and if possible, some people who taught alongside him. In that vein, I welcome input from readers. Please feel free to email your thoughts and recollections of him directly to me at
For now let's get going, first looking at some of the things that went into making Neil what he was.
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