Dr. Harold Hild Memorial Service

Many remembered Dr. Harold Hild, professor and chair of the Communications, Media and Theatre (CMT) department as a passionate professor, dedicated family man and encouraging colleague at his memorial service held on Nov. 21.

The service was held to honor a man who dedicated much of his life to Northeastern Illinois University and was willing to do almost anything to help its students succeed despite the challenges they faced and "always saw their potential," as many people mentioned throughout the ceremony. The service itself was very light-hearted, earnest and jovial, which was a nod to Hild's personality and character.

Associate Professor Cyndi Moran, from the CMT department, shared her story of how she first met Hild when she was here for her job interview process. She said part of the interview process was a lunch with the chair of the department and "was expecting this very formal interview."

He took her to Myron and Phil's, which is the bar many mentioned throughout the service as his usual hangout. She could see she was not really connecting with him since when she was offered something to eat and drink, she would refuse because she had a class to teach afterward. However, the two started to get a sense of each other once they started to discuss the Chicago Bulls game from the night before after they saw the recap on one of the bar's televisions.

"He and I talked about the Bulls, we talked about politics, we shared a lot of views on politics. We played the game where we decided to get rid of ten of the united states and give our reasons why, starting with Texas which we both voted out," Moran said. "It was just great to connect with him and I remember thinking it was so strange that we didn't talk about work, but he was trying to get a sense of me and he gave me a sense of who he was and in retrospect it was such a perfect Harry interview."

This experience was something many of the CMT department professors shared from their time working with Hild. Jim Blair, Project Coordinator of the College of Arts and Sciences Education Program (CASEP) and also a professor in the CMT department shared his experience with Hild.

"[Hild's] greatest attribute was being the kind of department chair that would support what the faculty was passionate about and because of that this is a department where people in this department are friends, they socialize outside of school and they like each other," shared Blair.

Hild helped start the Center for Academic Writing and Dr. Katrina Bell-Jordan, the current chair of the CMT department, said that he, "made things happen for the students at this university." His love for the students and his insistence that the faculty continue to focus on student-centered learning, because he knew how students had to deal with not only their school work but also family responsibilities as he did when he was a student at NEIU, are some things that Associate Professor Nanette Potee will remember about Hild.

Dr. Katherine Hild-Mosley, Hild's eldest daughter, would like the NEIU students to know that Hild, "really loved NEIU students and that he was their advocate."