William "Bill" E. Hassinger

March 25, 1929 - November 3.2022

William "Bill" E. Hassinger Jr., 93, of Greensboro, North Carolina, passed away on November 3, 2022, from heart disease after a short hospital stay.

Bill earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Virginia Tech in 1950 and, after graduation, joined Duke University as a lab assistant. Bill served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954 and his friends will remember his stories about his time stationed in remote Greenland.

In 1958, Bill took over Hassinger Wholesale Company Inc., providing building materials in Greensboro, North Carolina, and part of the larger Hassinger Organization. Bill remained as president until his retirement in 2002.

Bill was a man of extraordinary curiosity. He read widely and deeply, as the hundreds of books he left behind attest. He loved to discuss new ideas and how they could impact the new generations of scientists he was keen to support. At Virginia Tech, Bill established the Davy-Faraday Scholarship in the College of Science to encourage interdisciplinary learning and research and emphasize the importance of the student-mentor relationship.

Bill made a number of significant contributions in support of Virginia Tech's students and faculty. He helped establish scholarships to support undergraduate students in physics and endowed a graduate fellowship as well as a senior faculty fellowship in physics. Always looking ahead, he established the L.C. Hassinger Senior Faculty Fellowship in Nanoscience in honor of his grandfather.

Bill loved books and ideas. He read extensively about science, philosophy and various religious traditions as well as a wide range of classical and popular poetry and fiction. He liked a good cigar and good conversation, but you had to ask, and listen. He had strong opinions, but I never saw him angry. A kind man, he didn't want to cause other people trouble. A quiet man who few people really knew, no close family left, not married, no children. But not sad, Bill was always looking forward, always hoping for the best.

Bill's ashes will be interred in the family plot in Bristol, Tennessee. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Margaret Hassinger; his sister, Jane Hassinger; and his cousin, Caroline Hassinger Lindsay. Bill is survived by his cousins, Ann Hassinger Smith, Elaine Miller and Ruth Fisk, and numerous relations scattered around the country. He will be missed by his family and friends, especially the early morning coffee guys and his neighbors.

In lieu of flowers, Bill has asked that donations be made in his name to the Virginia Tech College of Science in Blacksburg, Virginia, or the American Mathematical Association in Providence, Rhode Island.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Bristol Herald Courier on Nov. 20, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for William Hassinger

Sponsored by Central Carolina Cremations.

3 Entries

Robert D. Roberts

November 15, 2023

Mr. William E. Hassinger Jr.
He followed his family's tradition of highest professional ethics in business and personal life. And will be remembered for his philanthropy that enriched so many lives including mine.

Steven Leopper

November 21, 2022

Bill's obituary described him in a perfect way. A quiet man that was well read and curious. I only met Bill at annual trips to DWC for the trade show and can remember his quiet demeaner as he walked around observing all that was going on. To his extended family of Paul Lindsey and Anne Smith and their children I pray that the memories of Bill will be helpful during his passing.

Mark Pitt

November 21, 2022

On behalf of the Physics Department of Virginia Tech, we express our sorrow on the passing of Bill Hassinger and extend our condolences to his friends and family. Bill received his Bachelor's degree from our department in 1950. He was a longtime friend and supporter of our Department and Virginia Tech's College of Science. He was inducted into our College of Science Hall of Distinction in 2015.

Bill's extraordinary generosity over the past two decades has resulted in scholarship support for about 200 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students. He also supported the William E. Hassinger Jr. Senior Faculty Fellowship (over the years held by Professors Leo Piilonen, Bruce Vogelaar, and Sophia Economou) and the L.C. Hassinger Faculty Fellowship (held by Giti Khodaparast).

As Chair of Physics, I had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with Bill on a couple occasions including at a 90th birthday celebration in Greensboro in 2019 organized by COS colleague Jenny Orzolek and attended by VT students and faculty who benefitted from Bill's support.

Personally, I think of Bill every year when we have the induction ceremony for the physics honor society Sigma Pi Sigma. I always show a historical photo of our first Sigma Pi Sigma induction in 1950, when the local Sigma Pi Sigma chapter was installed. Bill is sitting in the front row, as one of the undergraduate student inductees that year. Bill's love of books was mentioned in his remembrance. I knew that well, as I recall him handing me a bag of books that he had enjoyed but was finished with when I first met him in the summer of 2016.

Mark Pitt
Chair, Virginia Tech Physics Department

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