Necrology

George Henry Willis '64

Jun. 25, 1941-Jan. 20, 2019

George Henry Willis ’64, a professor of education of Wakefield, R.I., was born on June 25, 1941, in Albany, N.Y., a son of the former Ruth Wilson and Harry Willis, a shop foreman. He graduated from the Albany Academy.

Once on College Hill, Willis joined the College Band. A member of Delta Phi fraternity, he also spent time with WHCL-FM and the Intramural Council.

A philosophy and religion major, Willis earned a master’s of arts in teaching from Harvard University in 1965. Following three years in the high school classroom, he pursued his doctorate in education from Johns Hopkins University. Willis served the academy as a professor of education at the University of Rhode Island for more than 40 years.

For his 40^th class reunion yearbook, Willis remarked, “I’ll always be grateful to the faculty for the wonderful example they set in honoring the life of the mind and the values that go with it.”

Willis wrote several books on education, received a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award for research in Australia, and in 2012 earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in Curriculum Studies from the American Educational Research Association. He enjoyed tennis and writing poetry, especially song lyrics in the style of the Swing Era.

George H. Willis died on Jan. 20, 2019, at the age of 77. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, the former Nancy Appleby, two daughters, and five grandchildren. A cousin is Katherine Decker Sutton ’83.

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