Harold Hastings

Harold Hastings, 75, passed away in Boston on May 2, 2022.

Harold was born November 21, 1946 in Dayton, Ohio, and moved to New York shortly thereafter. Harold’s parents were Julius Hastings, a physical chemist who worked at Brookhaven Labs for most of his career, and Celia Hastings (Moskovitz), an educator.

The oldest of three brothers who would all earn PhDs in the sciences, Harold earned an undergraduate degree from Yale and a doctorate from Princeton, both in mathematics. Harold had a long and productive professional career as an academic, making contributions to diverse areas including topology, neural networks, and fractal geometry. Harold spent the first part of his career at Hofstra, where he chaired both the math and physics departments. Upon moving to Berkshire County, Harold took up a retirement position at Simon’s Rock. Harold was passionate about education and mentoring, and continued to teach and spend time with students until his last week of life. Harold passed his love of science on to his children, both of whom also earned doctorates.

Harold was dedicated to giving back to his community, most recently serving on the board of the Friends of the Bushnell-Sage library. Previously, while on Long Island, Harold was president of the board of the Garden City Jewish Center.

Harold was predeceased by his wife of over 50 years, Gretchen Hastings (Saalbach).

He is survived by his two sons, Curt (Diane Carpenter) Hastings of Bethesda, MD and his children, and Matt (Lauren Buckley) Hastings, of Seattle, WA and his children, his two brothers, Jerome (Laurie) Hastings of Palo Alto, CA and his child, and Alan Hastings, of Davis CA and his children.

SERVICES – A graveside service will take place on May 9, 2022 at 10:00am at Ahavath Sholom Cemetery on Blue Hill Road in Great Barrington, MA. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Friends of the Bushnell-Sage library, in care of Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230. To send remembrances to the family go to www.finnertyandstevens.com