Peacefully, at home in the arms of his wife. Ken passed away on December 13, 2012 just four days before his 75th birthday. Predeceased by his parents, Frank G. Hatt (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Nancy Donaldson (Enid, Oklahoma) and his sister Eva Anderson. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Susan; his children, Kierstin (Brian Small), Erin Christie (Dean Snell) and Bill Christie (Anika Kelloway); grandchildren, Caius, Jackson, Rowan, Arden, Danae and Eva Mae; his twin sister, Roberta McDonald, and brothers, George (Donna) and Dave (Teal); as well as nieces, nephews, friends, colleagues and thousands of ex-students all over the world.
Ken was born in Terrell, Texas and lived his early years there before moving to Douglas, Arizona for junior high and highschool. Ken was an active member of the Douglas Highschool class of ’56 where he participated in Glee Club, Hi-Y, student council and the Bulldog school newspaper and yearbook. His classmates knew him as a leader both in school and in the Methodist Youth Fellowship. Ken sang harmony in his highschool barbershop quartet which won the Arizona State Championship the year they competed.
He completed his undergraduate degree at Redlands College in California, attended Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California, completed a Masters degree at California State University, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Alberta. While a graduate student, he worked full time in the California State prison system and later worked to rehabilitate gang members on the east side of Los Angeles. After teaching briefly at Eastern Oregon College, he entered the faculty of Carleton University in Ottawa in 1970, where he taught Sociology until 1995. While at Carleton, he founded the first undergraduate criminology programme in Canada. He insisted that all students must complete a term of practical experience in a criminal or social justice agency. The programme continues to this day.
In 1995, Ken and Susan moved to Victoria where Ken joined the Department of Sociology at the University of Victoria as an adjunct professor. He taught mostly large undergraduate courses until 2006 when he turned to students doing graduate work. At this time, his academic work concentrated on food, specifically trade liberalization, food governance and the impact of trade liberalization on the ability of peoples around the world to grow their own food. This work became the foundation of a graduate course at the University of Catalonia (Barcelona) which he taught for two years. He completed the second revision of his text book and saw his most recent scholarly article published just weeks before he died.
Ken was an intellectual and an academic fuelled by a strong sense of justice, a well-developed sense of humour and a heart as big as the universe. He was always completely accessible to his family, his many friends and his students. He also wrote poetry, played the ukelele and loved many things: running, soccer, biking, baseball, the Arizona desert, growing organic vegetables, everything Italian (including travel to Italy), good coffee, good wine, good music (who could forget Kenny Bongo?), Monty Python, elephants and chickens to name only a few. His passing will leave a huge hole in the lives of many.
Special thanks to Dr. Jane Papp, Dr. Christine Jones and the Victoria Hospice Palliative Response Team. Donations in Ken’s honour may be made to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or a charity of your choice.
Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, December 21, 2012 at McCall’s Downtown, Johnson & Vancouver Streets with a reception to follow. Interment at Ross Bay Cemetery. Condolences may be offered below.
McCall Bros. Funeral Home
39 Responses
Susan,
Condolences to you and your family.
Nana Sakamoto, Y Walkers.
Dear Mrs. Hatt and Members of the Hatt family,
On behalf of the faculty, staff, alumni and students of Carleton University, I offer our sincere condolences. Dr. Hatt will be remembered with great respect and admiration by his collegues here. The Criminology program which he started stands as a tribute to his leadership. His books and articles represent his intellectual activities while his former students’ successes demonstrate his kindness and caring.
While we cannot be there for the funeral today, you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely yours, Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President, Carleton Univ.
Dear Susan and Family,
I was so sorry to hear of Ken’s passing. I was a student of his in the early 1970s. He was an amazing professor and human being – bright, inspiring, and a wonderful sense of humour. He truly seemed to love teaching. I eventually completed a doctoral program, thanks in large part to his encouragement in those early years.
My sincerest sympathy,
Roberta Russell
Kemptville, ON
A special note to Kierstin. Your Ottawa friends from the 1970’s hold the strong memory of your Dad as a generous, compassionate, funny parent to all of us in residence.
I was so grateful your Dad reached out to us in his final months. We were able to thank him for all he was to us and we got to say goodbye. We have also had a cyber reunion of sorts because of your Dad. Blessings to you at this sad time.
Theresa Daly ( class of 1977 )
Guelph.
Dear Susan,
YOu are in my prayers. MaryAlice told me of Ken’s death. Death of a beloved husband, I am sure, is very difficult at any time. Near Christmas must be even more difficult.
With love,
elaine ’65
My condolences to Sausan and the family. I would describe Ken as one of those very few men who was always gentle and caring to everyone that he came into contact with. Ken had a way about him that made you feel at ease and you felt that he truly cared about you. I will miss Ken.
Dear Susan ans family:
I was very sorry to read in the Ottawa Citizen about Ken’s passing and I want to extend to all of you my sincerest sympathy. I am one of the “thousands of ex-students” who Ken taught at Carleton University in 1969/70. He was one of a handful of professors from whom I learned a learned a great deal and who inspired me to pursue a career in criminology.
Ken was, indeed, inspirational. He taught with passion and enthusiasm, and it was infectious. His classes brimmed with an exchange of knowledge, insight and understanding about the human condition. His lectures were fun, interesting and a hoot. He had a unique way of integrating the theory of researchers and academics with the brutal reality of his own personal experience in corrections and criminal justice.
After Carleton I went on to complete a Masters in Criminology at Ottawa University and subsequently pursued a career in correction and parole – 25 years in various positions at the Correctional Service of Canada and 10 years as Director of Communications at the National Parole Board. Throughout my career I can truly say that Ken’s influence continued to resonate and have impact on me personally. I stayed in touch with him periodically over the years but lost contact when he moved to B.C.
I retired 5 years ago but continue to look back at my university studies under people like Ken with fondness and appreciation. He touched the lives of many people who went on to make a significant contribution the Canada’s corrections and criminal justice system. You and your family, and especially the grandchildren who may not have known Ken the same way I have, can be very proud of him and his accomplishments. I will certainly remember him fondly and I am sure you and your family will have many fond and lasting memories of Ken.
Please accept my condolences. My thoughts and my prayers are with you in this time of sadness.
Yours sincerely
John Vandoremalen
Ottawa, Ontario
Dear Susan& family,
Hial and I would like to say we are so sorry to here that Ken passed away. Our prayers and thoughts are with you at this time.
We didn’t know Ken well but from the obituary he must have had a
wonderful life.
Take care Susan
Hial & Audrey Baker
My most sincere condolences to Susan, and to all of Ken’s family.
What a wonderful man Ken was. He truly made a difference, in the lives of countless individuals, and in a much broader sense through his justice work, and national and international concerns.
Ken leaves this world far too soon.
Friend and former student,
Claudia Currie
Susan
My prayers are with you and family
What a person ken was he will always.be with us.
It was my pleasure to have grown up with him in Douglas
Going to church and singing, the youth group . we will always.remember the good time.
He may be gone but not forgotten
Florence Scott (Holbrook