Dr. William E. Hasting, 90 years on August 10, a native of Posey
county who practiced medicine successfully in Mt. Vernon and Posey county for
many years prior to his retirement, died early Friday at the home of his son in
law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hurley, in Encino, California.
Following cremation of the body, the ashes will be brought to The
Shorts Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon and burial will be in Bellefontaine
cemetery alongside the wife, Anna Bell Hasting, who died in Mt. Vernon in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Hurley will
accompany the ashes to Mt. Vernon. Funeral arrangements are
incomplete and the rites probably will not be held until late next week.
Active physically and mentally despite his advanced years Dr.
Hasting was seriously ill only a week prior to his death.
He left Mt. Vernon for residence in California in 1939. For most of the time
since, he lived in his own home at Redlands, Calif. A year ago he was injured in a
fall and joined his on in law and daughter in Encino.
Surviving are the daughter in California; a son, David E. Hasting, Mt. Vernon business man and civic leader, and three
grandchildren, Mrs. Donald Hagerman, Seattle, Wash., and Judith Ann and Michael Erin Hasting,
Mt. Vernon.
Born in Point township, a son of William Thomas Hasting, a native
of England and Jane Booth Hasting, a native of Delaware, who settled in Point township in the
early 1830's, the late deceased was reared on a farm, later entered DePauw University and in 1897 was graduated from the College of Medicine of Washington University in St. Louis.
During his internship in a St. Louis hospital Dr Hasting in the field of
X-ray and interested (in) the later
was reflected in a cancerous condition of his left hand from X-ray burns that
necessitated amputation.
The same scientific bent and pioneering instinct marked his career
in Mt. Vernon as a practicing physician dating from
1900 and in extensive farming and livestock breeding operations until his
retirement.
In his operation of a thousand acres of farmland in Point township
he attracted worldwide attention in the cross breeding of a zebra stallion
with a mare.
Dr. Hasting was married in 1905, his wife nee Anna Bell, was a native of near Belfast, Ireland.
An ardent Republican for many years of state loved prominence, the
late deceased in his later years became an independent Republican.
He was a member
of the Methodist Church of Mt. Vernon during his long residence locally.
Several fraternal affiliations were severed when he retired and left his
native Posey County.
--------------------------------------------
Originally submitted by Betty Sellers