Evan Hill, emeritus professor of journalism, died April 10. He was 91.
A native of Philadelphia, he received his BA from Stanford University and his MS from Boston University.
As a young man, he worked as a reporter and editor on newspapers in the state of Washington and in the Alaska territory before World War II. In September 1941, he went on active duty with the Alaska National Guard. He volunteered for combat and fought in Belgium and France. He was severely wounded in northern France and hospitalized for nearly four years, during which time he began to write non-fiction magazine articles, and sold an article on wounded soldiers to the national publication, Liberty.
He then served as editor of the Argus Champion, at that time a semi-weekly newspaper in Newport, N.H. He taught journalism at Boston University for seven years, then joined the journalism faculty at Ohio State University in 1956, before working for seven years as a full-time freelance non-fiction magazine writer.
His work has been translated into five languages. He also ghost-wrote books and magazines for U.S. cabinet officers, federal court judges, and clergymen.
In 1965, he was appointed head of the journalism department at the University of Connecticut and served in that position until he retired in 1984. He published approximately 160 magazine articles and eight non-fiction books, twice with co-authors, including a college journalism textbook.
In 1950, he won the annual essay contest of the American Newspaper Publishers’ Association, and Freedom Foundation award.
He was a director of The Day Publishing Company of New London, and a trustee of the Bodenwein Foundation. After his retirement, he taught writing courses to Newport students and adults, and compiled a ‘Historical Chronology of the History of Newport’ that is available on the web.
He was proud of the success of his former students, some of whom have been reporters and editors for major U.S. publications. Others achieved executive positions in corporate public relations. Many became his friends after graduating and kept in touch with him until his death.
Hill was predeceased by his wife, Priscilla Fiske. He is survived by his daughter Lucinda Hill Hogarty and son Peter, and their families. Private burial services were held at the North Newport Cemetery, with a memorial service to be held in May.
