Dr. Terrell L. Hill

Dr. Terrell L. Hill
Resident of Oregon
Dr. Terrell L. Hill, 96, passed away January 23, 2014 at his home in Eugene, Oregon. If you Google his name, you'll find a list of his scientific and educational accomplishments, but to us he was just Dad, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa.
Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Terrell had two loves as a young man: basketball and science. His high school basketball team won the Oakland City Championship his senior year. By his junior year at UC Berkeley, science had started to interfere with basketball so he dropped the university team but played on an AAU team, the highest level of basketball at the time. In 1941, Terrell's team reached the semifinals of the national tournament in Denver. He was also an avid tennis player, having been a founding member of the Eugene Swim & Tennis Club.
Terrell married Laura Etta Gano on September 23, 1942, in Oakland, CA. They met in a Berkeley freshman chemistry lab class where he was her graduate teaching assistant. They were happily married for 71 years before her passing just two months ago.
Terrell received his PhD in Chemistry in 1942. He was soon recruited for the Manhattan Project. He went on to a distinguished scientific career starting at NMRI (Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, MD) and continuing at the University of Oregon and University of California at Santa Cruz where he developed and strengthened the Chemistry, Physics, and Biology Departments. Sabbaticals were spent in England, Israel, and Switzerland. He finished his career at NIH (National Institutes of Health) in Maryland.
Terrell was a compassionate person. He was a lifetime member of the NAACP and closely followed world and national events. A lifelong Democrat, Terrell was a strong advocate for education, believing that all have a right to higher education. He loved classical music and was a poet and avid reader.
Terrell is survived by a brother Ernest Hill, daughters Julie Eden and Lynn (Gary) Lineburg, a son, Ernie Hill, five grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife, Terrell was preceded in death by a daughter, Terry, and a brother, Kenneth.
Terrell requested that there be no funeral or memorial service. A fund has been set up in the memory of Terrell and Laura Hill. You may donate by contacting the U of O Foundation at (541) 346-9137.