Obituary for Philippines RPCV Phillip J. Hiller



Mr. Hiller moved to Evanston in 1969 after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Greece and the Philippines, where he met his wife, a math teacher. Known for the lab coats and neckties he regularly wore to class, Mr. Hiller had an uncanny ability to connect with his students, some of whom went on to work on science projects like the Hubble space telescope. Others teach in the sciences at universities, friends said.

Obituary for Philippines RPCV Phillip J. Hiller

Phillip J. Hiller 1938-2006 Taught biology for 34 years in Evanston

Jul 21, 2006

Chicago Tribune

Jul. 21--During his 34-year career teaching biology at Evanston Township High School, Phillip J. Hiller never lost his passion for learning.

"He loved teaching," said Barbara Hiller, his wife of 41 years. "He never wanted to do anything else."

Mr. Hiller, 67, died Sunday, July 16, of complications from leukemia at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.

A native of Racine, Wis., Mr. Hiller moved to Evanston in 1969 after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Greece and the Philippines, where he met his wife, a math teacher.

Before joining the Peace Corps, Mr. Hiller got his first teaching job in biology at Luther South High School in Chicago, where he worked three years after graduating with a degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He later earned a master's degree in education from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.

Known for the lab coats and neckties he regularly wore to class, Mr. Hiller had an uncanny ability to connect with his students, some of whom went on to work on science projects like the Hubble space telescope. Others teach in the sciences at universities, friends said.

Many, like attorney Andrew Huckman, went into other professions but never forgot the lessons learned in Mr. Hiller's classroom.

"He demanded excellence of his students, but he was patient with those who couldn't be excellent," said Huckman, a 1985 Evanston graduate. "He really gave everyone a spirit of inquiry and curiosity."

It was a gift his students took with them long after their high school days were over.

"It's amazing how fondly everyone remembers him," said Huckman, who like many students maintained a friendship with Mr. Hiller.

What never changed about Mr. Hiller, friends said, was his thirst for knowledge. After retiring four years ago, Mr. Hiller traveled to Spain, Australia, Costa Rica and Africa, studying and collecting data on dolphins, koala bears, sea turtles and cheetahs for the Earthwatch Institute, a non-profit organization that sponsors field research projects.

Closer to home, Mr. Hiller tended his garden while sharing his Master Gardener secrets in a weekly column he wrote for a local newspaper, his wife said.

He also volunteered with his wife at Youth Organizations Umbrella, a social-service agency for youngsters in Evanston.

"He had an infectious enthusiasm he just kind of radiated," said former student and friend Jonathan Baum, a YOU board member. "I always think of him as smiling."

What mattered most of all to Mr. Hiller, however, was his family, longtime friend Jim Ware said.

"He was very committed to education and helping young people ... but family was a big part of his life," Ware said.

Besides his wife, Mr. Hiller is survived by four children, Mark, Claire, Megan and Paul; five grandchildren; a brother, James; and a sister, Linda Hicks.

Services have been held.

When this story was posted in September 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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