Siena said good-bye to its longest serving president, with funeral services for Fr. Hugh Hines, O.F.M. H ’89 in St. Mary of the Angels Chapel on October 9.
Fr. Kevin Mullen, O.F.M., the 10th president of Siena and currently guardian of the Siena friary, introduced his homily by recalling that Fr. Hugh always said he didn’t want a eulogy.
“’Nothing about me,’ he would say. “’Just preach the Gospel.’”
Fr. Kevin said Fr. Hugh – or “Hughie” as he was known by his brother friars – “lived his life believing that all people are children of God, the loving Father, and he had a reverence for other people that reflected that.”
Whenever President Chuck Seifert, Ph.D. met Fr. Hugh, he recalled “having to lean in close to hear what he had to say because he was so soft spoken. I was always impressed with his wisdom and thoughtfulness.
“For all that Siena accomplished during his presidency, Father Hugh knew that it is the people who make up Siena that matter most,” said Seifert. “He came to know many students and faculty personally, sharing his time, his friendship, and the Franciscan values that guided his entire life.”
The Mass was celebrated by Minister Provincial Br. Michael Perry, O.F.M.
Fr. Hugh, a Schenectady native who was president of Siena from 1976 to 1989, was buried in St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.
Thomas Baldwin Jr. ’81, chair of Siena’s Board of Trustees said he and his wife Laurie Kowalczyk ’80 Baldwin recalled Fr. Hugh from their days as students.
“He was very warm, funny and extraordinarily accessible,” said Baldwin. “He set the tone for the environment and culture on campus.”
Peter Zaas, Ph.D., professor of religious studies, remembers being interviewed by Fr. Hugh for a position to teach New Testament studies, which at the time was a fairly rare academic specialty for a Jewish person.
“I told him I was serious about my religious tradition, and asked if that would be an obstacle to my teaching that subject in this school,” Zaas said. “He didn’t see why it should be, and he kept in touch over the years, when he was President and afterwards, to see if he had been right. He was.”
Zaas said his single favorite memory was of Fr. Hugh rising skyward in a hot air balloon in 1987, during campus celebrations for Siena’s 50th anniversary.
“In later years, I described the feeling of a faculty member seeing the President ascending in a balloon. I said it gave us hope.”
“I remember Father Hines very fondly,” said Elaine Phelan, CPA, professor of accounting. “He was a kind, very thoughtful, very caring man. I remember him as being very level-headed, and always ready to listen to your point of view.”
Political science Professor Len Cutler, Ph.D. recalls when his grandfather traveled from Florida to visit family.
“I brought him to Siena for a tour of the campus. As we walked past the Dawson Library [now Sarazen Student Union], who comes along but Fr. Hugh. I introduced my Grandpa to Fr. Hugh, and they immediately struck up a conversation with each other and walked off arm in arm, laughing as they disappeared from us. A little while later, Grandpa reappeared and said what an enjoyable time they had together, never sharing with us the specifics of their chat.”
Fr. Hugh’s first roles at Siena were teaching religious studies and serving as assistant director of the pre-novitiate formation program. As president, he guided Siena through a significant period of growth and transition. Plans were developed for a new friary, allowing the former friary to be converted into a residence hall. That building was named Hines Hall in his honor when he retired from Siena in 1989. The Chapel was restored, and the library and dining hall were expanded. The townhouse complexes were opened, and the 17,000-square foot Kiernan Hall became the first new building constructed on campus in 20 years.
Siena also grew significantly in academic stature during his presidency. Applications increased dramatically, making admission more selective and competitive. The Siena/Albany Medical College program was established, and now draws applicants from all over the country. Academic majors were added in computer science, theatre and social work, and certificates were first offered with programs in international studies, peace studies, and foreign language for business. His tenure also saw the creation of the Siena Research Institute.
Fr. Hugh is survived by his first cousin, Richard L. (Mary) Jones; second cousins, Eileen M. Gross, Matthew R. Jones, Nancy Phillips, Margaret Eisert and Patrick Roberts; and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Gifts may be made in his memory to The Anna and Charles Hines Scholarship, or the President’s Mission Fund.