Betty Jane Hull

Devoted Danbury Library Board Member And Gardener

Betty Jane Hull, 82, of Danbury, a longtime member of the Danbury Library Board and devoted gardener, died April 1 at Danbury Hospital after a long illness. Mrs Hull was the wife of the late T. Clark Hull, a one-time justice of Connecticut Supreme Court, lieutenant governor, and state senator.

Mrs Hull is survived by her three sons, Josh Hull of Newtown, Treat Hull of Picton, Ontario in Canada, and Steve Hull of Chevy Chase, Md.; her grandchildren, Tyler, Seth, Sam, Ann, Evan, Mike, and Jonathan; three sisters; and a brother.

Born and raised in Morristown, N.J., Mrs Hull attended Hood College in Frederick, Md., and graduated from the University of New Hampshire. After college she moved to Boston, where she met Mr Hull. After marrying in 1947, they moved to Danbury, Mr Hull’s hometown, where they lived for the rest of their lives.

In the mid-1970s, Mrs Hull went back to college, earning a master’s degree in library science. For much of the 1980s and 90s, she worked as a technical librarian for Unimation, a Danbury company that designed and manufactured industrial robots. Mrs Hull was named to the Danbury Library Board in the mid-1980s and served for 17 years, the last several as vice chairman. She also volunteered at the library.

An avid gardener, Mrs Hull pored over her seed catalogs in January and the results burst into bloom in June in the garden at her Kohanza Street home, where she lived for 52 years. For a number of years, she grew blue zinnias for use by Judd’s Flowers in arrangements for Governor’s Day at the Danbury Fair. Each summer Mrs. Hull engaged in a tomato-growing contest with Dr William Sinton, a longtime Danbury orthopedist and family friend. Dr Sinton won each year, prompting annual charges by Mrs Hull that he stunted the growth of her plants by blowing cigar smoke on them. Dr Sinton denied the charge but declined to submit to a polygraph.

Mrs Hull also loved to sew. During the 1930s she hemmed pants for 25 cents a pair in her father’s Army/Navy store. As the mother of three sons, Mrs Hull greeted the birth of her first and only granddaughter, Ann Hull, with excitement. “Now, I’ve got someone to sew for,” she said.

 Even more important than her varied interests were Mrs Hull’s family and friends. She delighted in spending time and corresponding with her seven grandchildren and a network of warm and loving friends.

Friends may call at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury, Sunday, April 6, from 1 to 3 pm. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home at 3 pm.

Contributions in her name may be made to the Friends of the Danbury Public Library, 170 Main Street, Danbury CT 06810.

The Newtown Bee        April 4, 2008