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Oscar E. Remick, a University of Maine philosophy professor, Presbyterian minister and Bangor Theological Seminary academic dean died at Eastern Maine Medical Center Monday, March 25. The much-loved professor succumbed to cancer at the age of 69.
“He loved to teach, he kept saying it was an honor,” said Douglas Allen, chair of the Philosophy Department. “To say his evaluations were positive is an underestimation. Not only did they rate the courses highly, but him as well. They called him ‘the best teacher I’ve ever had’ and ‘an inspiration.’”
Allen said Remick was very popular with students and staff because of his open and caring nature.
“He was positive, enthusiastic, caring and important to the department as well,” Allen said. “He was very involved in service to the university.”
Before coming back to Maine to retire, Remick worked as and educator in Michigan and Pennsylvania. He was president of Alma College in Alma, Mich. from 1980 until 1987 and then spent 10 years as the president of Westminster College in New Willmington, Penn.
Remick graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1950 and earned his bachelor of arts from Eastern College in Pennsylvania then his master’s from the University of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s of divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and a master’s from Boston University. He was also a bother of Sigma Chi.
But Remick’s life was much more than academia. He also appreciated and advocated the arts. He was the chairperson of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and president of the Chataugua Institution during the 1970s. More recently, he was the president of the Abbe Museum Board of Trustees, a museum that celebrates Maine Native American culture, arts and architecture and was president of the Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth.
Remick’s interest in the arts was very consistent with his personality, Allen said.
“He was very broad, very inclusivistic, he is very interested in tolerance,” Allen said. “He was basically a professor of religion…but he was not a narrow religious person.”
While Remick was a Protestant minister, he was also knowledgeable about other religions, especially Islam, prompting his being called to Washington D.C. shortly after Sept. 11, to work with the newly appointed Homeland Security secretary and friend, former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge. He also presented Egyptian grand mufti Dr. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi with and honorary doctorate from Westminster in January of 1995.
Remick’s death comes as a surprise to both faculty and students at UMaine. The faculty in the philosophy department found out about his illness shortly before spring break and had divided his classes among them for the rest of the semester so that Remick could peruse treatment for his cancer. He taught class until the break – none of his students had any idea that their professor was ill, Allen said.
“His students had no idea what was going on,” Allen said. “The Tuesday before break he was in class…it turned out he was in incredible pain.”
Even with his diagnosis, Allen and Remick were talking about the future. Remick was scheduled to teach his usual two 100-level classes next fall.
“We really had no idea of the seriousness,” Allen said.
Allen had more than an idea of how fortunate the university and the department were to have Remick as a professor, however.
“We were very lucky,” he said. “We had this great teacher who was teaching large numbers of students and inspiring them.”
Remick’s family will be honoring his life with a memorial service this summer, according to his wife, Emma and their sons.
Bangor Daily News