Warren Vander Hill ’60

Charles Warren Vander Hill, age 86, passed on to Fly Fish in the great beyond on July 1, 2024. He heard that big trout were hitting white streamer flies. Following cremation, his remains will be placed in the Lower Madison River in Montana where a memorial service will be held for immediate family and friends. There will be no local service or calling hours at Warren’s request.
Warren was born in Nyack, New York on September 20, 1937. His father, Lavern, a Dutch Reformed minister, served churches in West Nyack, New Brunswick, New Jersey and Queens Village, New York. His mother, Janette Fisher, was also of Dutch Heritage and was from Grand Haven, Michigan, so Warren’s life until after college was spent in New York City and Southwest Michigan.
He attended New York City public schools through grade 8 then went to The St. Paul’s School in Garden City, New York, for high school where he was an All–New York City-Long Island basketball player. He began college at the University of Maryland in September 1955 on a basketball scholarship but left after one semester to go to Hope College in Holland, Michigan, his father’s alma mater. There he was a distinguished history major and met Joy Philip who became his loving wife of 63 years and lifelong fishing partner. At commencement in 1960, he received Hope’s Athlete Scholar Award. He was elected as a National Defense Education Act Fellow by the University of Denver where he completed a master’s degree (1961) and Ph.D. (1968) in American Studies.
He began his teaching career at Grand Rapids Junior College in 1962 with classes in American and world history and also coached basketball and cross country. Warren joined the Ball State History faculty for one year in 1965 but returned to his alma mater to teach for two years before returning to Ball State in 1968.
During his thirty-six years at Ball State University, he was Professor of History, Director of the Honors College, and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. His main academic interests were Immigration, Family History, Community Studies, and History of The American Environment.
Warren was most proud of helping to create the Whitinger Scholars program, the Honors College Core Course in Family History, the Ball State program at University of Oxford England, Greening of the Campus programs, and relationships with Universities in South Korea, China, and the Netherlands.
Reflecting on these years Warren always emphasized how fortunate he was to work with a number of outstanding faculty who took great pride in their teaching and research as well as countless exceptional Honors students.
Following his retirement, he continued to do research on several oral history projects through the Center for Middletown Studies.
Beyond campus, Warren’s life focused on his lifelong love of fly fishing, a passion which took him to many places in this country as well as England, Ireland, Alaska, and several saltwater destinations, but it was Montana that became his “home” away from Muncie. Fishing the great rivers of that state became a focal point of his life. On a local level, he and a few like-minded friends taught a Fly-Fishing Class at Ball State to more than 300 people from the campus and the community over the past four decades.
While there are a great number of people who played an influential role in Warren’s life in administration, teaching, research, athletics, and fly fishing, he would like to recognize his Multiple Myeloma doctor at the Indiana School of Medicine, Rafat Abonour, for his many years of care and friendship.
Warren is survived by his wife Joy Vander Hill, children Jon Vander Hill (Susan Horein) Madison, Wisconsin, and Sara Vander Hill (Paul Taormino) Naples, Florida, grand-children Madison Vander Hill, Henry Vander Hill, Andre Taormino, and Ellessandra Taormino, brother Jim Vander Hill (Mary Jane) Virginia Beach, Virginia, and nephew Jim Vander Hill, Salem, South Carolina.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ball State Foundation Honors College account 4040, First Presbyterian Church, the Community Foundation, or Trout Unlimited.
The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory, Washington Street Chapel are in charge of all arrangements and online condolences may be left for the family at www.meeksmortuary.com