Dr. James Hyde Jr.

James F. Hyde, Jr., age 83, of Ripon, WI, Professor of German Emeritus at Ripon College, passed away on Monday, August 1, 2016, at Barrett House assisted living in Ripon.

James Hyde was born June 6, 1933, in Corning, N.Y., the son of J. Franklin and Hildegard (Lesche) Hyde. He graduated from Northside High School in Corning in the Class of 1951, and received an AB degree with a major in German from Princeton University in the Class of 1955. He then undertook graduate study in German Literature at Indiana University, where, while teaching as a Resident Assistant, he earned the AM degree (1957) and PhD (1960). While completing the doctorate, he also taught German at the University of California, Davis, and in 1961 was appointed Assistant Professor of German at Stanford University.

In 1964 James moved to Wisconsin, assuming the position of Associate Professor of German at Ripon College, where he taught for the next 35 years until retiring in 1999. He developed the college's German program extensively, serving as department chair for much of that time, and teaching courses in German culture and literature (especially the poetry of Goethe). Early in his career, he was honored with a Severy Award for teaching excellence. To extend the German program, in 1968 he founded an International Study Center in Germany, initially in Hamburg but then more permanently in Bonn, Germany. The program, which included an exchange agreement with Bonn University, attracted students not only from Ripon College but also from many other colleges and universities. Professionally, Prof. Hyde served on the editorial board of Monatshefte, a quarterly journal devoted to German literature and culture, and contributed scholarly articles and book reviews to that periodical.

A man of diverse interests, James Hyde was a talented musician, playing and performing on violin, piano, and organ. For many years, he played in the Ripon College Orchestra, served as its concertmaster, and performed several violin concertos with the orchestra as soloist. His expertise in architectural acoustics and organ building led to several consulting jobs for organ installations in churches; he served on the Editorial Board of the Acoustical Society of America. A devoted hockey fan, in the 1970s he was faculty advisor for the Ripon College Hockey Club. He learned to fly private aircraft, and had a pilot's license. His wide interests in scholarship earned him the nickname "Doc" while still in high school; many of his Ripon friends knew him by that nickname throughout his life.

Survivors include his sister Sylvia (George) Schuster of Ridgefield, Connecticut; niece Katherine Schuster of Gainesville, Florida; nephew Thomas Schuster of Tigard, Oregon; and cousins Virginia Green, Bob Lesche, Nancy Kirchmyer and their respective families. James was preceded in death by his parents, and by his sister Ann Hyde.

Mass of Christian Burial for James F. Hyde, Jr. will be held on Friday, August 12, 2016, at 11 am at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church at 415 East Fond du Lac Street in Ripon. Reverend William Whalen will officiate. Visitation will be held in the church prior to the Mass, from 10 - 11 am. In accordance with Prof. Hyde's wishes, a short concert of music by Johann Sebastian Bach will precede the Mass in the Sanctuary, beginning at 10:35 am. Music by Bach will be performed before and during the service by violinists Anna Andrews and Eric Godfrey, and organist Jared Stellmacher. Interment will follow at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery in the Town of Ripon. Memorial donations should be made to the St. Catherine of Siena Memorial Fund.

James Hyde's family and friends thank the staff at Barrett House for the high quality of compassionate care that James received in his closing years.

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