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Fred Abbate, 77, of Moorestown, a professor and civic volunteer

His "Jack the Ripper" course in philosophy at Drexel's Honors College drew students who then learned about inductive reasoning.

Fred Abbate and his wife, Rosemary.
Fred Abbate and his wife, Rosemary.Read moreCourtesy of the family.

Fred Abbate, 77, of Moorestown, a professor, consultant, and civic volunteer, died Friday, Aug. 11, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease, at his home.

Starting in 2000, Dr. Abbate taught philosophy as an adjunct professor at Drexel University's Pennoni Honors College. His course, titled "The Jack the Ripper Case and the Logic of Criminal Detection," drew students to his classroom. Other courses he taught had equally lively titles.

Along with the details of the sensational 1888 London murder case, the students learned the more formidable canons of inductive reasoning, how to form a hypothesis, and how to evaluate claims of evidence.

"Fred Abbate's courses managed to yoke the rigorous and the playful in a way that especially appealed to students, and inspired them to stretch themselves," said Honors College dean Paula Marantz Cohen.

Dr. Abbate also created "Jack the Ripper Through a Wider Lens," one of the first conferences to take a philosophical approach to the murder case. The 2011 colloquy at Drexel featured experts from around the world.

He built other courses around Sherlock Holmes and the work of William Shakespeare. Last year, Dr. Abbate represented Drexel at the British Shakespeare Association's annual conference in Hull, England. He conducted a workshop on the performance of Shakespeare's plays and the philosophical issues raised in some of them.

A popular instructor, Dr. Abbate won the honors college's inaugural award for outstanding teaching in 2010.

In addition to his work at Drexel, Dr. Abbate served as a trustee of Thomas Edison State University and of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities. For many years, he served on the New Jersey Arts Council. He was a prolific writer of novels, essays, poems, and plays. His play Campion's Will was produced in 2016 at Shakespeare festivals in Chicago and New Orleans.

Dr. Abbate was "a truly brilliant and wonderful teacher, author, playwright, and Renaissance man," friend Sally Friedman wrote in an email. "He's been greatly admired — and loved — by legions of fans."

Born in New Haven, Conn., Dr. Abbate graduated from Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Conn. He earned a bachelor's degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut and a master's degree from Boston College. In 1970, he received a doctoral degree in philosophy from Columbia University, New York, and began teaching at Rutgers-Camden.

From 1977 to 1994, Dr. Abbate worked at Atlantic Energy when the company was based in Atlantic City. He held executive posts, the last of which was general manager of corporate communications.

From 1995 to 2006, he was president and CEO of the New Jersey Utilities Association, a group that lobbies for the investor-owned utility industry.

From 2006, until just before his death, Dr. Abbate was a partner in the Performance Excellence Group, teaching leadership skills to educators and professionals.

He donated his time to nonprofits such as the Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, the Burlington County arm of the March of Dimes New Jersey Chapter, and the Read Foundation in Woodbridge, N.J.

An amateur magician, he performed magic tricks at birthday parties "for anybody who would ask," said his wife, Rosemary DiGioia Abbate.

Dr. Abbate's friends and family said he treated everyone with warmth and kindness. "Even when we were 5 or 6 years old, he treated the kids younger than him with such respect and dignity," said childhood friend Gerald Esposito. "He talked to them, played with them. He loved children and has his whole life."

His son Jeremy said his father demonstrated that a person can be and do many things in life. "You could be a corporate leader and still write poetry; you could be a teacher, a playwright, a volunteer, a lover of sports, a magician, anything. My dad was my first guitar teacher, inspiring me to play professionally."

"I will miss him terribly, mostly the laughter," his wife said.

Besides his wife of 52 years and son, Dr. Abbate is survived by two other sons, Jonathan and Jason, and seven grandchildren.

Memorial services will be private.

Donations may be made to Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, 5 Eves Dr., Suite 300, Marlton, N.J. 08053, or Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, 235 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, N.J. 08107.