Sad News about Marco Dees

Dear all,

I am writing to convey some very sad news. An adjunct faculty member Marco Dees died tragically late Sunday in a rock-climbing accident at Grand Teton National Park. Professor Dees was a member of the Philosophy Department, where he taught “Reality, Knowledge & Morality” and “Logic” this past year.

Just 33 years old, Professor Dees was at the start of what promised to be a full and productive career. Professor Dees’s areas of expertise included metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of physics.

Professor Dees would have been starting his second year at Vassar, teaching several courses again. He previously taught at Bard. He is survived by his parents Chrisjan and Anja Dees of Middleton St. George, UK, siblings Henrieke, Jonathan, Paul, and Rachel and their spouses and children, and his partner Grace Mooney ’15. Grace provided the photo below and added that “Marco was an accomplished rock climber, outdoorsman, and mountaineer who died doing what he loved most.”

Professor Marco Dees mountain climbing

We express our condolences and support to Professor Dees’s family, partner, and friends at this devastating time. A remembrance at Vassar will be planned for the fall.

With a heavy heart,

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President

Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar