Shirley Hathaway and Bill McGrath

Bill McGrath was born in Somerville, Massachusetts and grew up north of Boston. As a boy he rode his bicycle everywhere, delivered newspapers, and played baseball. He was not seen as a good student. One teacher told him that math was his “bug-a-boo”. After being held back twice, Bill quit school in the ninth grade and worked in the Charlestown shipyard to help support his family. As a hobby he took a class in Morse code. He practiced the code daily until it became second nature to him. At the age of 17, during the height of WWII, he enlisted in the US Navy. After basic training he was sent to radio operator’s school where he graduated top of his class. His job on ship was to transcribe Morse code radio transmissions. The transcriptions had to be accurate, as they were quickly deciphered into actionable war orders. His success in the Navy gave him confidence and motivation. After the war he finished three years of high school in one year and applied to UMass Amherst.

Shirley Hathaway was born in Westfield, Massachusetts and grew up in Williamsburg. During her teen years, she worked variously as a housekeeper, nanny and waitress. During WW2 she volunteered as a lookout for enemy airplanes. An enthusiastic reader and a good student, she graduated valedictorian of her high school class. On her own initiative, she applied and was accepted to UMass Amherst. She proudly joined the sorority Sigma Kappa, Beta Eta Chapter. Shirley and Bill met in a Creative Writing class. They married before the end of college and graduated in 1952 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English. Both were the first in their families to attend college.

Bill and Shirley continued their educations and both pursued careers in libraries. After earning a master’s degree in Library Science at the University of Michigan, Bill began his professional career as a research librarian in the science library at UNH. He climbed the career ladder in university library administration with positions at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, University of Southwestern Louisiana and University of Massachusetts at Lowell. During a sabbatical Bill earned his PhD from Syracuse University. Later changing his focus from administration to teaching, Bill finished his career as Full Professor of Library and Information Science at SUNY Buffalo, publishing many dozens of articles in his field.

While raising three children, Shirley worked as a reference librarian at public libraries, gathering knowledge and friends in each state where they lived. Over six summers she earned a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Minnesota. Shirley worked the last twenty years of her career at the public library in Andover, Massachusetts.

Shirley and Bill’s love of reading and writing continued throughout their lives. In the early years Bill wrote poetry and acted in amateur theatre. He loved classical music even after his hearing failed him later in life. Over the years his interests shifted significantly to the sciences. He read non-fiction, almost always choosing a book that discussed a mathematical or scientific idea, or a biography of one of the great scientific thinkers or accomplished historical figures. In retirement Bill wrote a family history of his mother’s family, a memoire of his father, a booklet on his war experience onboard ship and several well-researched articles.

Shirley read fiction, history and anthropology. She subscribed to Yankee and Smithsonian magazines and was a fan of Nova, PBS Masterpiece Theatre and mysteries. She loved the performing arts and music of all kinds, especially folk music, and often attended plays and concerts. She worked diligently on tracing her genealogy back to the 1500s and applied this research to a written family history. Later in life she took another creative writing class and received commendation for a short story she submitted for review. Shirley was a fierce, competitive Scrabble player, routinely whooping most challengers.
Shirley and Bill spent their retirement years at home in Westford, Massachusetts. They played tennis as long as they were able, then followed the sport on TV for the rest of their lives. Bill played softball and rode his bicycle well into his late 70s. He grafted apple trees, cultivated blueberry bushes and planted milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies. Shirley loved watching the birds and animals in their back yard, tending her rock garden and visiting the ocean. Both Bill and Shirley were greatly concerned with man-made pollution, loss of animal habitat and climate change.

Shirley and Bill’s marriage lasted 68 years, both living into their 90s. Between Bill’s occasional, subtle witticism and Shirley’s joyful, contagious laugh, they were a delight to their family. They often reflected on their years at UMass. Their joint experience and educations were formative highlights of their lives. Their mutual love of education and learning inspired them to leave this legacy gift.