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Remembering Commencement 2009
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Presentation of the Trustees’ Medal of Merit to Frederick
Sontag
May 17, 2009
Stewart Smith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Good morning. The Board of Trustees is periodically honored
to award the Trustees’ Medal of Merit to persons who have
rendered outstanding service to Pomona or who have brought
distinction to this institution through their actions or
achievements. Today the Trustees are pleased to bestow such
an award on Professor Frederick Sontag.
Fred Sontag is, by any measure, an extraordinarily
magnanimous member of this community—one who has deeply
affected generations of students at Pomona College, which
has been his academic and spiritual home for 57 years. Born
in Long Beach in 1924, Fred and his remarkable wife Carol
arrived in Claremont in 1952 after he had graduated from
Stanford University in 1949 and earned M.A. and Ph.D.
degrees from Yale University in 1951 and 1952.
Fred’s academic discipline is philosophy, and the nature and
breadth of his special interests—metaphysics, philosophy of
religion, philosophical psychology, existentialism, and
philosophical theology—are brilliantly reflected in the
profoundly influential life he has led. He has been a gifted
teacher and an insightful author of nearly 30 scholarly
books, while contributing almost 100 essays and articles to
major publications and more than 300 articles and opinion
pieces to professional journals, magazines, and newspapers.
While Fred’s faculty colleagues at Pomona and around the
world have long celebrated his extraordinary scholarly
achievements and the immense range of his academic interests
in philosophy, religion, and literature, today we honor Fred
Sontag for his compassionate mentorship and counseling of
students. He has taught, guided, encouraged, and inspired
thousands. He has contributed to the social fabric of this
college by serving as adviser to the Kappa Delta fraternity
for nearly five decades. His commitment to sustaining an
appropriate academic and social environment for Pomona
students—bolstered by his quiet and persuasive
behind-the-scenes influence—has served the College well. For
Fred, every student, however mischievous, is (as he would
say) “really a good kid,” deserving of his generous support
and guidance.
As a Pomona student, I was a member of the Sigma Tau
fraternity, but my father, my brother, and my oldest son are
all KDs (and I’ve had to live with that!). It is noteworthy
that my brother and my son, separated by 30 years at Pomona,
each benefitted from a deep personal relationship with Fred
Sontag. And I did as well, even though a Siggie, because
Fred – an ordained minister – was the officiant at my
marriage; he also presided at my brother’s wedding (in South
Africa) and at both of my sister’s marriages. Fred always
stays with a challenge until he gets it right!
In fact, Fred has married more than a hundred students and
conducted myriad other ceremonies. He has come to know some
of his students’ children and even grandchildren, offering
them the same big-hearted advice and encouragement. On
sabbaticals, he is famous for visiting Pomona students and
alumni around the world. No one at the College knows more
about the lives of alumni—their pursuits, triumphs, and
tragedies—than Fred.
In 1994, alumni initiated two projects honoring Fred Sontag,
a research fellowship fund and the restoration and
enhancement of the Greek Theatre. Both initiatives now bear
his name. At that time, the organizers said: “Rarely in our
lives does an individual come along who is able to provide
us with such a multitude of gifts. Fred Sontag … can see
potential in others, display compassion with humor, motivate
and influence; … [Fred] is always there when most needed,
helpful and nonjudgmental. . . . He is a teacher, adviser,
mentor . . . in some cases colleague or minister . . .
always a valued friend.” Alumnus Stephen Pauley noted that
“the gift of a second chance is one of Fred Sontag’s
greatest legacies at this college . . . What greater mentor
in life can there be than the one who simply believes in you
as a person—who believes in your potential to succeed?”
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Pomona College, it is
my honor to present the Trustees’ Medal of Merit to Fred
Sontag, longest-serving faculty member in the College’s
history, distinguished scholar, brilliant teacher, valued
counselor and close friend, for the compassionate guidance
and mentorship he has provided to Pomona’s students and
alumni for 57 years.
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