Retired professor Dr. Peter Hilty dies at age 87

Retired professor, former city councilman and noted poet Dr. Peter Hilty, 87, died Thursday at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Hilty taught English at Southeast Missouri State University from 1962 to 1991, where he established the poetry journal The Cape Rock.

Mary Miller, a former student who also attended the same church as Hilty, said he "instilled in his students a love of words."

"He touched many lives in that career. He was a great educator, and he had a great mind," Miller said. She also knew Hilty through the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club, where Hilty was an active member.

Hilty served on the Cape Girardeau City Council from 1982 to 1988 and was a member of the commission that drafted the city's charter.

A frequent contributor to the Southeast Missourian, Hilty was also a published poet and short-story writer. Some of his chapbooks include "What Country Lies Beyond" and "How Far is Far?" In the Missourian, Hilty chronicled his travels, commented on daily life and responded to political events.

"He had more varied talents than anyone I've ever known. He was an artist, a musician, a writer, a poet, a builder. There was hardly anything he couldn't do," said former colleague Dr. Henry Sessoms. Sessoms remembers how Hilty helped him remodel his basement.

"He was a fine carpenter. He made grandfather clocks and was always doing things around the house," said former colleague Dr. John Bierk.

Hilty was "very loyal" to his church, Centenary United Methodist, where he played the organ and sang in the choir, Miller said.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy, who he married in 1969, and their son, Daniel.

Friends may call from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Centenary United Methodist Church. The funeral will follow at 2 p.m. at the church. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

388-3627