Board of Directors Memorial
Suffolk County Community College
College Brief
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NO: 40
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November 29, 2022
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TO:
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The College Community
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FROM:
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Dr. Edward T. Bonahue
President
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SUBJECT:
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Marking the Passing of Walter Hazlitt
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It is with great sadness that I share with our community news regarding the passing of Walter Hazlitt, a former member of the College’s Board of Trustees and Board Vice-Chair, whose term of service with our Board lasted 17 years. Mr. Hazlitt also served as a member of the Suffolk Community College Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Mr. Hazlitt was the beloved husband of the late Elizabeth, devoted father of son Walter and daughter Elizabeth Emerson, and cherished grandfather of four.
Born in Brooklyn in 1925, Walter learned from his father, a dentist and World War I veteran, and his mother, a homemaker, the importance of giving back. Walter began giving back to his country in 1943, when he joined the United States Marine Corps. Sergeant Hazlitt served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was honorably discharged. Following his military service, he enrolled in Seton Hall University, graduating with a degree in Business Management and went on to work for the Interstate Container Corporation.
Walter continued his community involvement by becoming a Stony Brook volunteer firefighter. He served his community fire department for more than 62 years, where he rose to the rank of Chief and was a member of the fire department’s Board of Commissioners.
Active politically, Walter was elected to Suffolk County’s first County Legislature in the early 1970’s and co-sponsored a nationally recognized environmental law banning certain household detergents. Suffolk County stood alone from 1971 to 1981 as the only County in the United States where ground polluting household detergents were banned from market shelves. Walter was also a member of the Legislature’s Education Committee where he garnered a deep appreciation for Suffolk County Community College, its mission, and its students.
After his County Legislative service, Mr. Hazlitt served as Executive Director of the Suffolk County Water Authority where his service was no less progressive. He established a nationally recognized, state-of-the-art water testing laboratory to ensure that the residents of the County of Suffolk had safe drinking water. He also oversaw the computerization of the Water Authority.
In 1997, Walter was appointed to the College’s Board of Trustees. As a member and leader on the Board’s Advocacy Subcommittee, Walter led annual trips to the New York State capitol where he employed his extraordinary skills of persuasion to convince lawmakers to increase their support for all community colleges. Walter never took “no” for an answer and was instrumental in helping the college garner increased State and County aid as well as extensive capital construction support. In 2014, Mr. Hazlitt was honored with the Donald M. Mawhinney, Jr. Trustee Leadership Award, presented by the New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT). The award is presented to a trustee who has demonstrated a significant commitment to his/her local community college through advocacy, fundraising, and professional contributions. The college community can certainly look back at Walter’s years of service with pride and appreciation.
Arrangements are as follows:
VISITATION:
Saturday - December 3, 2022
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
FIREMATIC SERVICE: Saturday at 8:00 PM
Sunday - December 4, 2022
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Bryant Funeral Home
411 Old Town Road
East Setauket, NY 11733
(631) 473-0082
Funeral Mass:
Monday - December 5, 2022
10:45 AM
St. James RC Church
429 Route 25A
Setauket, NY 11733