Family and Friends of Charles E. Hurst, UWM '65
Mary E. Hurst endows this scholarship in honor and loving memory of her husband, Charles Hurst (1942-2023), who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1963 and 1965. Charles Hurst joined the faculty of The College of Wooster in 1970 as an assistant professor of sociology. He was promoted to full professor in 1980 and served several times as chair of the Department of Sociology before retiring from Wooster in 2008 after nearly 40 years of service.
Hurst’s research focused heavily on issues of social status, comparative poverty and inequality, and the uses of classical social theory in understanding contemporary social dilemmas and problems.
Impact
Mary Hurst and the family and friends of Charles Hurst created this scholarship to honor his legacy, and to help first-generation students achieve a broad education in Letters and Science. Charles Hurst was consistently and universally celebrated by students and fellow academics alike for a passionate and creative approach to teaching and learning sociology that made complex concepts accessible to all. Above all, Hurst valued the connections he made with his students during his time at Wooster, saying upon his retirement, “I’m sure that I have learned as much from them as they have from me.”