Charles G. Hill

1925 - 2015
Charles Graves Hill lived a good life and faced it with a broad smile, a keen mind and a stubborn persistence. He died on June 7 2015. The week prior to his death, he joyfully celebrated his 90th birthday at parties with friends and families.
He was born May 29, 1925 in Flushing, NY, eldest son of Betty and Norbert Hill. Although he spent his early years in Greater New York, he was always a child of New England. When he was 11, his family moved to Great Oak Farm in Ledyard, Connecticut. He went from a suburban New Jersey home to an 18th century farmhouse heated by the wood that he and his 3 brothers chopped and split. As a teenager, he played the coronet and trumpet, and this love of music stayed with him throughout his life. Although he not known as a culinary maestro, he earned fame for his skill in preparing clam chowder and homemade granola.
Charlie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1946 with a degree in French and earned a master's degree and doctorate from Yale University. He also spent a year at the University of Grenoble, earning a certificate in 1949. As a young French professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY he met Elizabeth Krohne, a member of the English Faculty. They were married in 1957 and had four children.
He taught French at Brooklyn College for 30 years, where he was a loved and respected teacher and colleague. He served as chairman of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature during the turbulence of New York City's fiscal difficulties. He would give junior faculty members choice teaching assignments if he felt it would help their careers, since he was securely tenured. He was active as a leader in the New York-area American Association of Teachers of French, a role for which the French government honored him as a Chevalier des Palmes Académique. He was also active as a volunteer and Vestry member at the Church of the Ascension in New York. He served Wesleyan University as chairman of the Annual Fund and was honored by the University in 1996 and 2006 for his service. Though sometimes reluctant to admit it, he was a devoted fan of the New York Jets and the New York Mets.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Dr. Elizabeth K. Hill; sons Christopher, Thomas and wife Patricia, and Nicholas and his wife Audrey Minsky; brothers Rev. Laurence M. Hill and Rev. David S. Hill; and two grandchildren, Kevin Hill-Williams and Isabella Hill. He was predeceased by his daughter Margaret and his brother, Dr. William N. Hill. A memorial service will be held on Saturday June 14, 2015 at 4 pm, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Fifth Avenue at Tenth Street, New York City. A private burial will be held in Noank Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Environmental Advocates of New York (www.eany.org), Mercy Corps (www.mercycorps.org) or Wesleyan University (www.wesleyan.edu).