Charles Hazelrigg

A native of Mount Sterling, Ky., Hazelrigg graduated from Centre in 1937 as valedictorian, and then spent a year in Washington, D.C., working for the Library of Congress and studying the additional languages needed for graduate school. He returned briefly to Centre in 1941 as an instructor of English, but had his teaching career interrupted by World War II, where he served as a Navy lieutenant with service in the Pacific. He rejoined the Centre faculty in 1947, after earning master’s and doctoral degrees at Yale University, and retired in 1981 as Matton Professor Emeritus of English. Unable to leave his students completely, he returned part time to the classroom, retiring for a second time in 1989. In addition to teaching British and American literature, Shakespeare, and the 20th-century American novel, Hazelrigg served as chair of the English Department, and later as first chair of the Humanities Division. He also coached men’s tennis in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, including the undefeated 1952 team, and was the faculty advisor to student publications. He was active in the community as well, serving at various times as president of the Danville Rotary Club, chair of the Boyle County Red Cross, and elder in the First Christian Church in Danville. In 1952 he was named Outstanding Citizen of Danville and Boyle County, and in 1955 the Danville Jaycees named him Outstanding Citizen of the Year. Dr. Hazelrigg devoted his life to the College, which in return bestowed on him just about every honor possible. The Centre Alumni Association gave him an Alumni Recognition Award in 1971. Centre’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa named him an alumnus member. In 1981 he received the student-awarded Hughes Award for teaching, as well as an honorary degree from Centre. A scholarship fund to honor him was established in 1981 by his many friends and former students. In 1997, J. David Grissom, Class of 1960, established the Hazelrigg Professorship in Humanities, and in 2005 the recreational gym in Sutcliffe Hall was named for him. Hazelrigg died September 3, 2005.