Harold Robert "Hal" Hogstrom

Harold Robert Hogstrom (Hal), a frequent contributor to the opinions presented on the editorial page, died on September 7th 2025, at Mission Hospital in Asheville North Carolina.

He was born on September 1st 1925 in New York City, and is survived by his beloved wife Valerie, his daughter Olivia, two step children, James and Cathy and five grandchildren.  He was predeceased by his son, Jon and his daughter, Kim. His two passions were theatre and politics. On Asheville stages his favorite roles were Gloucester in “King Lear”, Otto Frank in “The Diary of Anne Frank” and Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”.

Politically, he supported the Democratic Party and was deeply disturbed by the growing economic disparity found among our citizenry.

As a boy he was an enthusiastic member of the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. In World War II he served as a paratrooper in the 11th Airborne Division and his battalion was the first to land in Japan on VJ Day.

After graduating from Queens College, NY, he taught at Syracuse University, where he acquired a Ph. D. His 46 Years in academia were devoted to teaching rhetoric and theatre. Thirty-three of those years were served at the College of New Jersey, from which he retired, emeritus. During the course of his career he directed over 100 plays and designed and built stage sets for many others.

After settling in Asheville in 1996, he volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build 164 homes and taught numerous courses at the College for Seniors at UNCA.

Having begun as a Lutheran, he migrated to the Unitarian Church and the Society of Friends and came to characterize himself as a vivianist, a title which he felt best expressed the awe he felt for the miracle of a universe in which inert elements became configured into sentient life. For him that miracle imposed upon us the need to cherish, not only human life, but the life of non-human beings, with whom we share our world, particularly elephants and dogs. It was his conviction that it is our solemn obligation to be good stewards of our beautiful planet, which we have become empowered to preserve or despoil.

Written by the decedent.

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