Up for auction "My Friends' Beliefs" Hiley Ward Hand Signed 3X5 B&W Photo.
ES-7544
Former
journalism faculty member Hiley H. Ward of Warrington, a journalist, author of
14 books and teacher whose work was honored by the Pulitzer Prize committee,
died Oct. 1 surrounded by family at his home. He died of leukemia. He also was
afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease for many years. He was 80. He was born in
Lafayette, Ind., to Hiley Lemen and Agnes Fuller Ward. His wife of 32 years,
Joan Bastel, is retired from the position of managing editor of The
Intelligencer. Hiley had a long and distinguished career. In the 1960s and
early ‘70s, he was religion editor for the Detroit Free Press. His work took
him overseas frequently, including assignments in the Middle East, and Central
and Eastern Europe. He covered every session of the Vatican Council in Rome. He
was part of the reporting team that covered the riots in Detroit in 1967,
earning the newspaper the Pulitzer Prize for general local reporting in 1968.
He also was awarded the William Leidt award from the Episcopal Church in 1968,
the Texty award for best new textbook in communications, education, performing
and visual arts in 1997 by the Text and Academic Authors association, and the
Sidney Kobre Award for lifetime achievement in 1999 by the American Journalism
Historians Association. He served as president of the Religion Newswriters
Association, U.S.-Canada, from 1969 to 1972. He was recently informed that he
will be awarded a lifetime achievement award in spring 2010 by William Jewell
College, an honor for which he was most proud. After leaving the Free Press,
Hiley taught journalism at then-Mankato State University and then at Wichita
State University. He ended his teaching career at Temple University’s
communications department where he served as chairman for a term. Most of his
books had religious themes, ranging from “Creative Giving” in 1958 to “My
Friends Beliefs” in 1987 to “Understanding Reality Religion” in 2007. He also
authored college textbooks on newswriting, feature writing and American media
history. His one novel, “Peter’s Rock,” was the story of the apostle’s wife. Hiley
received a bachelor’s degree from William Jewell College (Mo.) in 1951;
master’s degree from Berkeley (Calif.) Baptist Divinity School, 1953; master’s
of divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1955 and his
doctorate in journalism history and international communications in 1977. He
loved to care for his yard and garden, and could often be found with his
beloved lab at a bench in his woods, writing in what he called his woodland
journal. Hiley was a generous, loving man to all, especially to his children
and grandchildren. Besides Joan, he is survived by four daughters: Dianne Ward
(James Mulholland), Minn.; Carolee (Rob) Sommers, Ohio; Marceline (Greg)
Valenty, Minn.; and Laurel (Jim) Boures, Illinois. There are six grandchildren
and one great grandson. Hiley also is survived by his identical twin brother,
Harry, a distinguished university professor, historian and author who is
retired from the University of Richmond. His older brother, Jack, lives in New
Hampshire and sister Margaret “Peg” Daniel lives in Tennessee.