During two decades at JMC (1967-1987), Prof. G. Peter Lyman left an indelible mark on the students, his colleagues and the college. He was a founding faculty member of Madison, part of a triumvirate with Jack Paynter and Dick Zinman, who taught political philosophy and critical thinking to generations of Madison students. Together, they crafted the field of Justice, Morality and Constitutional Democracy (JMCD), which became Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy (PTCD) in 1993. A brilliant teacher, committed ethnographer and creative scholar, Peter left a powerful legacy in the curriculum of the college, in his influential research and in the lives of numerous students.
Peter’s family, friends, colleagues and students created an endowed fund as an enduring testament to his legacy and service to James Madison College. Peter Lyman was deeply dedicated to connecting big ideas in philosophy and the social sciences to enduring political issues and contemporary social problems. He taught about revolution and radical alternatives to liberal democracy; and was especially interested in the role of technology in public life. In his courses and in his teaching, Peter raised questions that were meaningful in students’ daily lives and invited them to explore their responses with imagination and integrity as well as with intellectual rigor.