Washington College Magazine
In Memoriam: H. Hurtt Deringer
H. Hurtt Deringer '59, retired editor of the Kent County News and Washington College's biggest sports fan, died of a heart attack August 21, 2005. He was 70.
Deringer served as director of the College's News Bureau and Sports Information from 1968-70, Assistant to the Vice President for Development and Public Relations from 1970-72, and Director of Public Relations from 1972-74.
H. Hurtt Deringer
Over the years his name became synonymous with Washington College sports, a love affair that began in 1945 when he worked the old Cain Gymnasium's wooden scoreboard. Throughout the years he chronicled the achievements of Washington College players, and privately kept his own logs and records for his favorite sports—lacrosse and basketball.
"I had the privilege to know Hurtt as a player and as a coach," said Bryan Matthews '75, Director of Athletics at the College. "He was more than a sportswriter—he was a storyteller who built his stories around themes, not just stats. He was Washington College's institutional memory when it came to sports. It would not be unusual for Hurtt to relate the story of a WC team or player going back to the 1800s."
Hurtt began his career in journalism in 1962 as news editor at WCHA radio in Chambersburg, PA. In 1963 he was appointed news and sports editor of the newly founded Chester River Press in Chestertown. He later became editor. He took over as editor of the Kent County News in 1974 and became publisher in 1976 after the paper was acquired by Whitney Communications Corporation of New York.
Deringer received awards for editorial writing, columns (general and sports), sports writing and photography, and he was a finalist for the John Hay Whitney Journalism Award in 1984. In October 1991 his decades-long dedication to Washington College athletics was acknowledged when he was admitted to the Athletic Hall of Fame. He also served on the Hall of Fame Committee until his death.
"The success this nation has enjoyed in the 20th century," Deringer once wrote, "can be attributed to the best aspects of athletics that have been brought to not only the marketplace, but to the democratic arena—playing by the rules, teamwork and discipline. When you are able to add those nitty-gritty intangibles— heart and spirit—you have two special ingredients that make the playing of sports worthwhile and a lesson of living."
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