Deceased June 4, 2012
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In Memory
Hank died on June 4, 2012 at his home near Middlebury College, where he was the Henry Norman Hudson Professor of English emeritus. Hank retired from Middlebury after 42 years of extraordinarily dedicated service as an English professor, chairing the department from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1974 to 1982.
Hank was born in Mt. Vernon NY on November 15, 1918. After graduating from Bronxville High School, he joined the Class of 1941, which he served with distinction as secretary and member of several reunion committees. At the time of his death Hank was serving a second term as class president.
While at Amherst, Hank met Frances Yeames. They were married on February 20, 1943 and enjoyed a remarkably happy 69 years together. Fran survives Hank, as do their children, Sally Boggeman of St. Louis Missouri, and Christopher, of Cambridge, Maine.
Hank enjoyed sports his entire life. At Amherst he ran cross-country, relay and track, earning 12 varsity letters. A team-mate and fellow cocaptain remembers Hank as a runner who ”just plain did well”, a fierce competitor whose concern for his team-mates came first, sometimes at the expense of his own finish. Off the track, Hank was a member of the Christian Association, Phi Beta Kappa, Scarab, Sphinx and Theta Delta Chi.
During World War II Hank served as an officer aboard the destroyer escort USS Baker. After the war he taught at The Choate School and Penn State, and in 1952 earned a PhD in English from Harvard. Hank loved the English language. The care with which he spoke, read and taught will long be remembered.
Hank’s Amherst friends, The Middlebury College community, the members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and The Henry Sheldon Museum, join his family in grateful remembrance of a decent man who dedicated his life to serving others. Hank just plain did well throughout life, tending his garden with care. He gracefully balanced spirited ambition with a deeply held sense of fair play.
Peter Y. Wise ‘75