Earlier in 2022, UWL received one of the largest donations in its history: a $2.2 million sum to be split between Murphy Library and UWL’s English Department donated by the estate of Bill and Yvonne Hyde. Considering this, it is apparent that the Hyde family displays a deep kind of generosity and adoration of the Library Services and English Department that can only be acquired by being directly and heavily involved in both areas. Their adoration for their jobs and fields they were apart of perfectly exemplify the age-old advice of “finding a job you love.” How much do you have to love your job to donate $2.2 million to it? The answer is: a whole lot.
In the face of such generosity, we ought to ask ourselves what paved the way for the Hyde’s decision to gift both the English Department and Murphy Library this unprecedented sum. By seeing what they saw for the raw potential of Murphy Library and the English Department to flourish in the oncoming years we might learn how best to honor them as we move forward with this new financial gain.
The Hyde’s roots in the UWL community certainly run deep; since their entrance into UWL faculty, Bill in 1956 and Yvonne in 1957, the Hydes displayed a devotion both to their own respective careers and to each other, which would eventually earn them the title of “UWL’s power couple.” They were both pillars of the community, no students nor faculty members were exempt from their kindness, an unkind word or raised voice never left their mouths. As a former colleague of theirs, Tom Pribek, described, “Bill & Yvonne genuinely were a team; they always attended department events together, and Yvonne always went out of her way to talk to everyone -- well, both were as friendly as people get.” Although they worked in close physical proximity to each other, Bill and Yvonne embarked on separate yet equally fulfilling career paths during their time at UWL.
Prior to joining the UWL English Department as a professor in 1956, Bill Hyde earned his bachelor's at UW-Milwaukee, where he met Yvonne, and his master's at UW-Madison. As a professor, Bill Hyde had an air of formality around him, yet this demeanor was never considered stuffy or condescending but rather it was “respected, liked even” among his colleagues and students. He displayed an affinity for 19th century literature, especially Thomas Hardy, whom he wrote extensively about. However, his writing was not limited to simply essays and dissertations; Bill wrote several pieces for The Catalyst as well, reflecting on the ever-changing world that we have come to inherit. After rising to prominence in the English Department and occupying the position of Department Chair as early as 1971, Bill would eventually retire in 1992, a monumental 36 years of work in the UWL community.
Similarly, Yvonne would pursue her own degree during the same time Bill was working towards his master’s, earning her bachelor's at UW-Madison before joining UWL’s Library Services in 1957. Although she often bounced around areas, contributing to where it was needed during her time as a member of the Library Services, it was in the last 18 years of her career that she would settle down in cataloging where some of her duties included withdrawing books, re-instating books, managing rare books, barcode problems, and “keeping library personnel happy.” Her perpetual kindness to students and colleagues alike made her a beloved figure in Murphy Library’s history, as she exemplified the philosophy of “people first, students/workers second” in how she carried herself and treated others. She would go on to retire in 1995 after 38 memorable years of work in the UWL Library Services.
Despite both of their retirements, Bill and Yvonne’s connection to UWL never diminished -- in fact, it would strengthen. Tom Pribek noted that both Hydes put in a significant amount of effort to stay in touch with their colleagues and friends at UWL, always attending banquets and parties for said colleagues until they were physically unable to do so. Furthermore, Yvonne continued to volunteer at Murphy Library after her retirement and the two of them made numerous donations to UWL; thousands of dollars given towards programs, scholarships, and learning opportunities. Their love and generosity for UWL spanned decades, half a century even, yet the devotion that they extended to UWL pales in comparison to the devotion they had for each other in their lives outside of UWL.
Bill and Yvonne had a taste for the finer things in life, as exemplified by their penchant to dine out often and their love for travel. However, in this case the word "finer" does not necessarily mean expensive, but rather enriching. Even still, the couple maintained an enviously wholesome and fulfilling domestic life with each other. In the warmer months, Bill and Yvonne often spent time in their garden, growing both flowers (tulips, snowdrops, and daffodils) and produce (tomatoes, sprouts, red and green lettuce, and spinach). Any surplus of produce was often given to neighbors and friends of the Hyde family, yet again exemplifying their inclination towards generosity. Furthermore, although they frequented many restaurants in the La Crosse area, both were more than capable of navigating a kitchen, and Bill often made jams and pickled products from the food they’d grow or buy from grocery stores or farmers markets. A single glance at their life together and it becomes glaringly obvious why the Hydes were revered as UWL’s power couple, as they led a lifestyle that many of us would strive to have in our futures.
The simplicity and humanness of their lives makes them more relatable and accessible to the average individual despite the achievements and popularity they acquired during their time in La Crosse. There are precious few people at UWL whose time spent here overlaps with the Hyde family and yet rather than feeling like distant, almost mythological figures of UWL’s history, Bill and Yvonne cultivated a lifestyle that any one of us could find solidarity in. How many times have any of us sat around inside after getting dressed up with nothing to go to the way Yvonne did on April 3rd, 1985? Although Bill and Yvonne passed away without leaving any children behind, we can think of UWL and its inhabitants as their proverbial children instead. Their dedication and absolute loyalty to their own communities within UWL extends even beyond death and with the $2.2 million they donated to Murphy Library and the English Department, there is now an opportunity for us to thrive in new ways we might not have considered before, to give our faculty and students the means to reach for new possibilities, to open our wings and soar ever higher in the pursuit of knowledge.
