Charles "William" Higginbotham

C. William Higginbotham died on April 2, 2019, in Lexington, MA from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He leaves his wife, Rev. Louise B. Higginbotham, two children, Sarah (Chris Neurath) of Lexington and Drew (Salwa Jabado),of Brooklyn, NY, and three beloved grandchildren, Leo Neurath and Zahra and William Higginbotham. He was pre-deceased by his parents, W. Montell and Gertrue Lavinia Higginbotham. He is survived by his sister, Mary Ann Fisher of Edgerton, MO, and many nieces and nephews.

Bill was born in Pontiac, Michigan, on August 8, 1942 and was raised in Aurora, Missouri. He received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Park College in 1964. He was Co-Captain of the varsity soccer team and a Rhodes Scholar nominee. In 1970 he was awarded a Ph.D. in Physics by Brown University. He worked in the emerging field of academic computing for GT&E, Control Data, and as a consultant to several universities including the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. He joined the faculty of Rensselaer Hartford in 1979 and retired on medical disability as Associate Professor in 1996. He was a member of First Church of Christ, Congregational, in Middletown CT where he sang for many years in the Senior Choir. He also held membership at United Church on the Green in New Haven CT and West Concord Union Church UCC in MA. He was an ardent fan of the Boston Red Sox and the CT Women’s Basketball Team. Bill enjoyed sailing, skiing, and tennis. His hobbies included tackling crossword puzzles, science fiction, genealogy and a life-long interest in the plays of Shakespeare.

A Memorial Service will be held at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, UCC on May 5 at 2 P.M. Internment will be private at the convenience of the family. Please omit flowers. Donations may be made in his memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at www.michaeljfox.org.

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