Richard “Dick” Keith Hill died on March 11, 2025 in Rockville, Md. at the age of 96. He was born June 1, 1928 in Erie, Penn. to Ranald Keith Hill and Lois Bingham Hill. Graduating from Butler High School in Pennsylvania, he worked his way through Penn State and received a B.S. in chemistry in 1949. He went on to earn M.S. (1950) and Ph.D. (1954) degrees in organic chemistry from Harvard University.
On one of the best days of his life, he met Joan Caine at a nurses’ dance in 1951. They married in 1954 and had four daughters in quick succession: Julie, Sybil, Holly, and Ellen.
Dr. Hill was a faculty member at Princeton University from 1953-1968 and at the University of Georgia from 1968-1993. His research awards included an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Senior Fellowship, and a NATO Senior Fellowship.
He was passionate about teaching and is remembered by students for his kindness and encouragement. At UGA, he was awarded the Beaver Undergraduate Teaching Award, was three times selected by undergraduates as Chemistry Teacher of the Year, and won the Meigs Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching.
Dick was a lifelong swimmer and walker, and a longtime reader for Recording for the Blind. He enjoyed tennis, chess, poker, and summers in Maine, where he swam with loons and rowed with seals. He loved nothing better than taking family camping trips, visiting relatives, and playing games together.
He leaves behind daughters Julie Fulcher (Lee) of Albuquerque, N.M., Holly Hill (Scott Spencer) of Seattle, Wash., and Ellen Hill (John Godfrey) of Rockville, Md.; and sister, Mary Hill Hozdik, of Berea, Ky. He was predeceased by his daughter, Dr. Sybil Hill, whose husband Byron Brooks lives in Williamston, S.C. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Tyler Fulcher, Matthew Holt (Ali), Brian Holt (Gabriella), Lucy Spencer, Henry Godfrey, Michael Godfrey, Leanne Moore (Zach), and Margaret Arnold (Cameron); and seven great-grandchildren.
From his daughters’ perspective, he was a supportive, loving, and generous father. From his wife’s perspective he was “a keeper” and they were blessed with 66 years together. His family will always remember his devotion to his wife Joan, and the loving care he gave her during her last four years in hospice.
A memorial service is planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Athens Community Council on Aging or any charity of the donor’s choice.
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