He came to us from J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pa., where he participated in swimming and student government.
He majored in classics in the Special Program in the Humanities, held the Robbins Scholarship in Greek, won the George P. Wood Legacy Prize, graduated with highest honors, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a member of Prospect Club and the Westminster Fellowship.
After Princeton he attended the Theological Seminary in Lancaster for a year before completing his seminary study and doctoral work at Yale Divinity School. He was ordained in 1963 as a minister in the United Church of Christ. Beginning in 1962 he taught and pursued biblical studies in the religion department of Heidelberg College (now Heidelberg University) in Tiffin, Ohio, until retiring in 1997. During sabbatical semesters in 1970 and 1977 he engaged in biblical studies at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. He wrote six books and eight articles in academic journals. When he finished his teaching career, he authored a history of Heidelberg College from 1950 to 2000.
As an Eagle Scout, Phil acquired a lifelong avocation of ornithology, and he traveled extensively to bird-watch.
Phil is survived by his wife of 57 years, Willa Jean; their two daughters, Heather and Ariana; and two granddaughters.