Wooster mourns passing of Hayden Schilling, former professor of history and tennis coach
Hayden Schilling, former Robert Critchfield Professor of English History and head men’s tennis coach at The College of Wooster, passed away on July 29, 2024, in Wooster, Ohio at the age of 89. He had a prolific career at the College that spanned over 50 years, beginning in 1964 until his retirement in 2015. Schilling was also the longest-tenured coach ever at Wooster, serving as the men’s head tennis coach for 34 seasons.
Schilling began as an instructor in the Department of History, before being promoted to associate professor in 1971, professor in 1976, and was named Robert Critchfield Professor of English History in 1982. His scholarship focused on Tudor and Stuart England, early modern Europe, and modern British history. He taught courses such as Cromwell and the English Revolution, Hitler and the Nazi State, and The English Country House that were favorites with students. In 2005, he was named Outstanding Baccalaureate Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Mentoring hundreds of Independent Study projects and teaching thousands of students throughout his 51-year career at Wooster, Schilling is remembered as an encouraging and inspiring professor. As Megan Prichard ’07 said in a Wooster magazine article marking Schilling’s retirement in 2015, “Hayden guided me through topic changes, hard drive crashes, panic attacks about life after graduation, and several heated debates over my comma usage with equanimity and humor. His refrain of ‘Just get something on the page—after that you’re only editing’ has gotten me through many writing blocks in college and beyond.”
Schilling served as the head coach of the men’s tennis team at the college for 34 years.
In addition to his teaching and mentorship, Schilling served as a leader at the College. He served as chair of the history department twice, dean of admissions twice, and acting vice president of academic affairs twice. He also began the Wooster-Youngstown Early Intervention Program in 1990 and served as its director for 25 years. Schilling was a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion at the College. As Greg Shaya, Henry J. and Laura H. Copeland Professor of European History, said in a Wooster magazine article marking Schilling’s retirement, “Hayden was always pushing us to be more inclusive and diverse—from marching for civil rights in the 60s, to helping to establish a Black Studies Curriculum Committee, a Department of Black Studies, task forces on the Black experience, and the Miles College exchange. Hayden represents all the best things about our College.”
Schilling made a name for himself in athletics as the head coach of the men’s tennis program at the College, a role he was in for 34 years. In this time, the team saw over 450 wins, four conference championship wins, and six conference runner-up finishes. Schilling was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times, a testament to the positive impact that he had on his student athletes. He also founded the Wooster Tennis Camp, which brings students aged 8 to 18 from across the country to the College each summer to improve their skills in the sport.
Schilling received a bachelor’s degree in history from Southern Methodist University in 1959, followed by a master’s degree in 1961 and doctorate in 1970, both from Vanderbilt University. At the 2018 Commencement Ceremony, he was presented with an honorary doctorate in recognition of his many years of dedication and leadership to the students at Wooster. A full obituary can be found here.
Posted in News on August 7, 2024.
