Obituaries | 1950-1959

H. STANLEY HART II, an author, bookseller, and real estate broker, died May 15, 2010. He was 80. A member of Psi Upsilon, he was the grandson of Francis B. Upham of the class of 1885, the nephew of Francis B. Upham Jr. of the class of 1915, and the cousin of the late Francis B. Upham III ’45 and the late Hayward Upham ’50. He served in the U.S. Air Force. A trade editor for Little, Brown & Co. for several years, he persuaded many well-known authors to publish their work with the company. He later opened The Red Cat, a bookstore in West Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard. In the late 1970s he left the business side of publishing to write his own books, many of which dealt with his own life and with life on the Vineyard, and since 1993 had been a real estate broker. Survivors include two daughters, three sons, and a nephew, Wesley A. Look ’02.

MARVIN HAGEL, a teacher and coach who was the first athletic director at Middlesex Community College when it opened in 1967, died Feb. 22, 2011, three days short of his 82nd birthday. He was a U.S. Army veteran and received a master’s degree from Trinity College. Survivors include his brother and several nieces and nephews.

PETER L. HILLYER, a writer, died Feb. 4, 2011, at age 81. A member of Psi Upsilon, he was the stepson of Harold Whiteley of the class of 1922. After graduation he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and then worked as a journalist until he joined IBM in 1960, where he spent more than 25 years writing executive speeches and articles. When he retired he continued to write as a freelancer and also wrote speeches for high-profile executives. Survivors include his wife, Virginia Hillyer; two sons, including Clayton Hillyer ’79; a daughter; two stepdaughters; 11 grandchildren; a sister, and his brother, Richard Whiteley ’62.

RIDGELY W. HARRISON JR., the retired president of the Minwax Company, Inc., died Aug. 25, 2006. He was 79. A member of Alpha Chi Rho, he served in the U.S. Army. His entire career was spent with the family business, Minwax, which makes wax and finishes for household floors, until he sold it 26 years ago. During the 1990s, his photograph inspired a multi-million dollar Tanqueray gin advertising campaign, which created the persona of “Mr. Jenkins.” Survivors include his current wife, Mai Hallingby Harrison, three sons, eight grandchildren, and a sister.

MARK H. HALLER ’51, a professor of history and criminal justice, died Sept. 22, 2012, at age 83. A member of Phi Sigma Kappa, he received his degree with high honors and with high distinction in English. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving his master’s degree from the University of Maryland and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago, leaving in 1968 to join the faculty of Temple University as a specialist in urban history. At Temple, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Department of Criminal Justice with a research emphasis, for the enhancement of Temple’s standing as a research institution, and for the effectiveness of faculty governance.

He was the author of numerous books and papers, and he lectured widely. His many interests included competitive tennis, travel, opera, and politics. He is survived by two brothers, several nephews, nieces, grandnephews, and a grandniece.

WILLIAM J. HAYLES, 81, a professor of chemistry at the Rochester Institute of Technology for 32 years and later a scientist at Bell Labs, died July 6, 2008. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was a member of Sigma Chi and received his degree with honors. In 1959 he received a doctorate from Iowa State University. He is survived by four children, four grandchildren, and one great–grandchild.

E. GORDON HAMILTON ’55, a retired insurance executive, died Nov. 19, 2012. He was 78. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he worked at CIGNA for most of his 42-year career. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Hamilton, three children, three grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and his brother.

KENNETH D. HUSZAR, a journalist and later senior vice president of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, died June 19, 2012. He was 75. A member of Chi Psi, he received his degree with honors and served in the U.S. Army.  He studied at Berlin University on a Fulbright Scholarship and in 1962 received a diploma from the Bologna campus of the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. During his long career in journalism and public relations he was a reporter for The Plain Dealer and for the West German magazine Stern, a foreign correspondent for Newsweek, and an account manager at Burson-Marsteller, where he counseled, among other clients, the Reagan Administration and the Argentine government. In the course of his career, he traveled widely, was a speechwriter for David Rockefeller, interviewed Yassir Arafat, and accompanied New York City Mayor David Dinkins on a trip to Japan. His sister, Janet Thompkins, and several cousins, including Ted W. Hussar, survive.

ROBERT W. HUNT, a credit manager with Harvey Industries, died Aug. 2, 2009, at age 75. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he served in the U.S. Navy. He was predeceased by his wife, Roberta Young Hunt. Survivors include three children, three grandchildren, and his sister.

JOHN H. HOBBS, a pioneer in the investment management industry, a philanthropist avid in his support of education and civil rights, and a former Wesleyan trustee, died Jan. 3, 2010, at age 73. A member of Eclectic and a U.S. Air Force veteran, he received his bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Harvard University. In 1969 he co-founded Jennison Associates, one of Wall Street’s first independent institutional investment management firms, and in 1976 was named president and CEO. In 1994 he became chairman of Jennison, which is now a subsidiary of Prudential Financial. He retired in 2003. After the death of his wife in 2008, he returned to work and was most recently the vice chairman of Madison Asset Management Group, LLC. A tireless supporter of education, he served on numerous boards and was also the chairman of the board of Common Cents, a non-profit organization that creates and manages service-learning programs for young people, one of whose divisions is Penny Harvest, the largest child philanthropy program in the U.S. He served on the Wesleyan Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2004 and was elected trustee emeritus. Predeceased by his wife, Elisabeth Atwater Hobbs, he is survived by three children, including Margaret M. Hobbs ’89, two sisters, and a large extended family.