William Alston was a treasured member of the Syracuse University Philosophy faculty for thirty years, from his appointment in 1979 until his death in 2009 at the age of 87. Although Bill officially retired in 1992, he continued to teach and write for a number of years thereafter through a series of post-retirement appointments, and was always available to students and colleagues. His work set new standards of achievements in epistemology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of religion. Working with Bill always brought out the best in his colleagues and his students.

Alston's 50-year academic career included major stints at Michigan, Rutgers, and Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. By the time he arrived at SU in 1980, Alston was revered for his work in philosophy. He published several books and more than 150 articles, and was founding editor of "Faith and Philosophy" and the "Journal of Philosophical Research."

The initiation of this lecture series was made possible by a number of generous donations from people who knew Bill and his work, a grant from the Templeton Foundation, and support from Syracuse University. We welcome additional contributions to help ensure that this is an enduring tradition.