E. Constance Hatch, WAC captain, business owner, professor of English literature, and widow of author Eric Hatch, My Man Godfrey Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, died Wednesday in her Hyde Park apartment. Connie was born in 1920. Graduated from Northwestern University, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in journalism. In 1941, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WACs), where she swiftly rose to Captain. When her sons were grown, Connie acquired a Master’s degree in English from Trinity College in Connecticut. She taught for a number of years at the University of Connecticut branch in Torrington, CT. In 1973, Connie returned to Chicago, where she became a fixture in the Hyde Park area. Active in women’s rights, food programs for the homeless, and other causes, she was a vigorous defender of individual rights and of the need for state fairness to all people. Connie is survived by her older son, Eric K. Hatch, and by three grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 17, at 2 p.m. at St. James Cathedral downtown.
