Dr. Freeman Meyer

MEYER, Dr. Freeman W. Dr. Freeman W. Meyer died peacefully, at home, on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 at the age of 83. He was born to Rev. Gilbert C. and Mary K. Meyer on July 22, 1920, in Cameron, MO. He graduated from Kansas University in 1942, where he met his future wife, Mary Doolittle. As a conscientious objector during World War II, he served his country by working for the Conservation Corps and the Mansfield Training School. There he became the band leader, which he later considered the best teaching experience of his life. After the war he earned a doctorate in American History at Cornell University in two years time. He started teaching history at the Hartford Branch of the University of Connecticut in 1951 and retired 40 years later with the rank of full professor, only the second professor at a branch to achieve that rank. During his career Dr. Meyer was the historian for the Noah Webster House and a founding member of the Association for the Study of Connecticut History. Author of several books and numerous articles, he was also an active member of the Connecticut Historical Society, the State Historical Commission and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, along with other historical organizations. An authority on colonial Connecticut history, Dr. Meyer also served as the Interim State Historian during 1991. His students profited from his dedication to the study of history, to teaching, and to lifelong learning. Even after retirement, Dr. Meyer continued to lecture and to maintain his chops as a jazz cornetist. In all aspects of his life, he was known for his quick wit and sense of humor; he was an inveterate joke teller. A devoted and beloved husband and father, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mary and by his sister, Helen Hanke. He is survived by his daughter, Katherine Meyer; his son, Philip F. Meyer; daughter-in-law, Josephine; and grandsons Benjamin and Joseph. Memorial donations may be made to the Freeman and Mary Meyer History Prize an essay contest for West Hartford high school students, Noah Webster House, 227 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06107.

Dr. Freeman Meyer

July 22, 1920 - April 27, 2004