Deceased June 9, 1992
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In Memory
“Jay” Hatton died suddenly from heart failure on June 9, 1992, in Northbrook, Ill., where he had resided most of his life. He was stricken on his 45th birthday while playing tennis at the home of a friend. Attempts to revive him with CPR were unsuccessful.
At Amherst Jay was a resident member of Delta Upsilon, where he formed many close friendships and where his sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm made him a central figure in our active social life. His family called him Jay, but at DU, he acquired the nickname “Grady” after an obscure major league baseball player from the late 1940s and early 1950s named Grady Hatton.
Like many of us in DU at that time, Grady resisted taking himself, or others, too seriously. Unlike many of us, he was usually helpful and cooperative and rarely unkind or hurtful in word or deed. He studied when he had to but tried hard not to let academic pursuits interfere too much with the objective of enjoying life as much as possible.
His good nature was contagious. In all my memories of him, he is smiling or laughing and encouraging others to do the same. He always seemed glad to see me and seeing him always made me feel glad. He was part of so many good times that it is hard to imagine those years without him.
Living with Jay, I learned to appreciate two Chicago products that he promoted vigorously—the Cubs, who in the late ’60s field what was arguably the greatest team never to win a pennant, and the Cryan’ Shames, a rock band that had a national hit with their version of “Sugar and Spice” in 1966.
The only things we ever disagreed about seem in retrospect to indicate how close we really were. We struggled over the reject button on the DU jukebox. I liked Motown and Soul, and Jay preferred British Invasion and American “garage” bands. Today that seems like a trivial difference, and I’d be happy to listen to Jay’s selections.
It bothered me that he never put my records back in their jackets. But it was hard to get mad about it, because Jay was so generous with his own possessions, most significantly his Mustang automobile. He was also giving of his time and energy. Whenever I wanted to go anywhere off campus, he was usually ready to drive.
After graduating from Amherst with a degree in political science, Jay earned a master’s degree in education at Northern Illinois University and taught government in high school for a year. He then entered the commercial construction business, in which he was involved until his death, both as a project manager for a firm in Chicago and as a general contractor in his own right. Several months before his death, he revealed an aspect of himself that we never saw at Amherst—he began devoting effort to creative writing, including work on a novel.
Jay was an active member and former trustee of the Winnetka Congregational Church, a member of the Skokie Country Club and a former member of the Men’s Board of the Arden Shore Association.
He married Rana Voss of Glencoe, Ill., in 1972, and they had two daughters, Alexa, age 16, and Cory, 13. We had the pleasure of meeting Jay’s family on the occasion of our 20th Reunion in Amherst three years ago. Jay enjoyed a wonderfully warm relationship with Rana, who shares his conviviality and was easy to get to know and a joy to spend time with. Their children, who seemed remarkably well-adjusted and self-reliant, loved and respected their father very much.
In addition to his wife and children, Jay is survived by his father, Edward ’39; his mother, Marian; his sister Kathleen and brother Spencer. Bruce Jarchow ’70, a boyhood friend, gave a eulogy at the funeral.
Jay and I did not keep in touch after graduation, and he did not return to Amherst until the 20th Reunion. When I arrived on campus for that event, “Grady” was the first person I saw. The intervening decades immediately melted away, and we readily settled into our old friendship as if we’d never left the DU house. I thoroughly enjoyed that weekend, and a big reason was that Jay was as outgoing and energetic as he had been more than 20 years before.
I had been looking forward to our 25th Reunion, which Jay had promised to attend. I now await that gathering with considerably less enthusiasm. I will miss Jay a great deal, as will all of us who shared friendship with him. Of course, the loss suffered by his family is much more serious and deeply felt, and we extend them our sincere condolences.
Peter Silvestri ’69