Wooster mourns passing of retired professor of biology, Claude Hinton
Claude Hinton, retired professor of biology at The College of Wooster, passed away on Sept. 21, 2022, in Wilmington, N.C., where he and his wife since 1952, Jean Marie, settled upon retirement in 1990.
Hinton began his service to the College in 1968 when he was appointed Mateer Professor of Biology. He began his career in 1955 as a member of the zoology faculty at the University of Georgia. Hinton was a 1948 and 1950 graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and was awarded a Ph.D. in Biology (Genetics) by the California Institute of Technology before beginning a postdoctoral fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Hinton’s research focused on genetics and his interests took him to Canberra, Australia, Southern California and North Carolina. Hinton also spent time in his career as a visiting professor at the University of Washington and the University of Oregon.
A piece focused on faculty research sabbaticals in the Sept. 9, 1988 edition of The Wooster Voice mentioned Hinton’s research in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park in the Carolinas.
“[Hinton] collaborated with other geneticists whose approaches differed, but they shared a common problem. Hinton feels that his research has kept him active and enthusiastic in his field and hopes it will benefit him in directing students in their own projects,” read The Wooster Voice piece.
Hinton was a fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also a member of the Genetics Society of America, Society of America Naturalists, and the American Genetic Association.
In addition to his wife, Hinton is survived by their daughters Rebecca Belmont Kennedy (John) and Claire Louise Brundage, grandsons Macklin and Keillor Brundage, and by several nieces and nephews.
His retirement allowed Hinton to pursue other interests, including serving as a Guardian ad litem, and a tutor in adult literacy. He also explored history, the arts and technology, and spent time in his kitchen and garden.
Posted in Faculty, News on September 23, 2022.
