Michael Hittle

Michael Hittle received his B.A. degree from Brown University and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. His principal area of interest was the history of Russia. In 1979, Harvard University Press published his study, The Service City: State and Townsmen in Russia, 1600-1800. Mr. Hittle joined the faculty of Lawrence University in 1966. His teaching focused on the history of Russia, historiography, and various introductory courses in history, but he also participated regularly in...See more

Michael Hittle received his B.A. degree from Brown University and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. His principal area of interest was the history of Russia. In 1979, Harvard University Press published his study, The Service City: State and Townsmen in Russia, 1600-1800. Mr. Hittle joined the faculty of Lawrence University in 1966. His teaching focused on the history of Russia, historiography, and various introductory courses in history, but he also participated regularly in the college's inter-disciplinary Freshman Studies program. Mr. Hittle served as Dean of the Faculty from 1980 to 1988. At the time of his retirement in 2001 Mr. Hittle held the David G. Ormsby Chair in History and Political Economy. Mr. Hittle grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, where his love of fishing emerged at an early age. His angling life has ranged from small Hoosier streams to Wisconsin lakes and rivers, from High Arctic waters to Bahamian saltwater flats, and beyond. In 1972 he and his wife, Marcia, purchased property on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage; and after camping on it for a number of years, they had the shell of a cabin erected on the site. After twenty years of off and on work, he and his family finished the building's interior. Since retirement, Mr. Hittle has become an increasingly active sportsman/conservationist who is committed to the protection and intelligent use of Wisconsin's natural resources. To that end he has served on the board of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and Trude Lake Property Owners' Association and as a member of the editorial board of Driftwood, the association's newsletter. See less