William Harry Jellema | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1893 |
| Died | May 16, 1982 (aged 89) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Calvin College University of Michigan |
William Harry Jellema (March 10, 1893 – May 16, 1982) was an American philosopher and the founder of Calvin College's philosophy department. He also taught at Indiana University and Grand Valley State College.
Three of his students from Calvin were elected President of the American Philosophical Association, and two of his students delivered the Gifford Lectures. Alvin Plantinga described Jellema as "by all odds ... the most gifted teacher of philosophy I have ever encountered" and "obviously in dead earnest about Christianity; he was also a magnificently thoughtful and reflective Christian."[1] Another of his students was the novelist Frederick Manfred, who based a character, Mr. Hobbes, on Jellema in his first novel The Primitive.[2]