Kathleen Wilkes
| Kathy Wilkes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 June 1946 |
| Died | 21 August 2003 |
| Education | MA Greats (Oxon); PhD in philosophy (Princeton) |
| Alma mater | St Hugh's College, Oxford, Princeton University |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
| Employer | St Hilda's College, Oxford |
| Known for | Jan Hus Educational Foundation |
| Parent(s) | John Vaughan Wilkes and Joan Alington |
| Relatives | Cyril Alington (grandfather) |
| Awards | Commemorative Medal of the President of the Czech Republic, October 1998 |
Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes (23 June 1946 – 21 August 2003) was an English philosopher and academic who played an important part in rebuilding the education systems of former Communist countries after 1990. She established her reputation as an academic with her contributions to the philosophy of mind in two major works and many articles in professional journals. As a conscientious college tutor, she won the respect and affection of her students and academic colleagues. Her most notable contribution lay in her clandestine activities behind the Iron Curtain, which led to the establishment of underground universities and academic networks in Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe. For her work in support of this network President Václav Havel awarded her the Commemorative Medal of the President of the Czech Republic in October 1998.
Wilkes, who was known as Kathy, was the daughter of Rev. J C Vaughan Wilkes who had been a master at Eton and Warden of Radley College before entering holy orders, and was for many years vicar of Marlow. Her paternal grandparents had founded and run St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, while her grandfather on her mother's side (the Very Rev Cyril Alington) had been Headmaster of Eton, Dean of Durham and author of many famous hymns. She was educated at Wycombe Abbey and St Hugh's College, Oxford, where she achieved a double First, and a Doctorate of Philosophy. Her achievement was all the greater in light of the excruciating pain she was suffering from as a result of a teenage riding accident. She spent a period at Princeton University, where she studied with Thomas Nagel, Richard Rorty and others, and then lived the life of an Oxbridge don. After a time at King's College, Cambridge, she became a fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1973, and was a lecturer in philosophy in the University of Oxford for the rest of her career.
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