Obituaries | Faculty

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John Hackett

John Hackett passed away on June 8, 2025. A full obituary can be read here. There is also a remembrance for John, written by Edward P. Nathan ’73:

 “John was about ten years older than I, so when he and his wife, Jeanne, welcomed me into their lives, it was my first excursion into adulthood: one of the pivotal, not ancillary, effects of collegiate life. This was the first time I was comfortable addressing an older friend without “Mr.” or “Mrs.” Jeanne and John were generous, accessible, and just a lot of fun. Academically, John was far more of an influence than I realized at the time. During my first years in graduate school, I studied Anglo-Saxon, Medieval Romance, Latin, Greek, linguistics—all of which, I’m finally aware, reflect my admiration for John’s intellectual trajectory. His scholarly and empathetic excursions into the many layers of meaning in medieval poetry brought those seemingly unreachable words and beliefs into palpable reality. So too, his irreverent stories about his Jesuit education at Regis High School, Holy Cross College, and St. Louis University brought fun and context to the sometimes humorless business of getting an education. I miss him terribly.”