This lecture series was established in honor of John B. Magee, University of Puget Sound Professor of Philosophy and Religion. Dr. Magee was an ordained United Methodist minister, professor, author, and mentor who was one of the driving forces in establishing a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Puget Sound in 1986. In addition to the Magee address being named for him, the university also honors his work through the Magee Professorship of Science and Values.

The address focuses on either the lecturer's professional scholarly inquiry or intellectual hobbies and includes a reflection about how PBK values (e.g., broad intellectual curiosity, scholarly ethics and rigor, personal excellence, commitment to the liberal arts) have impacted the lecturer's work.

Previous Magee lecturers include: John Hanson, Chemistry; Karen Porter, Sociology; Heather Douglas, Philosophy; Eric Orlin, Classics (2002); Catherine Hale, Psychology (2003); Barry Bauska, English (2005); Julie Christoph, English (2006) Little College on the Prairie: Exploring Relationships Between Personal Experience and Academic Inquiry; Aislinn Melchior, Classics (2008) Caesar in Vietnam: Did Roman Soldiers Suffer from PTSD?; Alan Thorndike, Physics (2009) Remarks about Penrose Tilings; Sarah Moore, Psychology & Leon Grunberg, Comparative Sociology (2010) Living through Turbulent Times: Workplace Changes and Their Impacts on Employee Well Being; David Tinsley, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature (2011) Finding Diversity in History: Images of the Muslim Other in the Middle Ages and their Meaning for Today.