Wilmot Hastings, born May 29, 1935, has left an indelible imprint on his family and friends, and on the fields of law and land conservation. Born and raised in Swampscott, Massachusetts, Wilmot's illustrious career was rooted in a deep love for knowledge, self-awareness, his relentless pursuit of justice, equality, and the protection of the land.
Known as “Bill” as a child and “Wil” as an adult, he was a product of the local educational system, completing his high school studies at Swampscott High in 1953. From there, he embarked on a journey to Harvard College, earning a degree in history in 1957. Craving a fresh perspective and excited to improve his poetry, he relocated to Paris, France, where he deepened his bond with Joan Loomis. Joan’s mother, Violet, felt Wil was an unsuitable suitor since he was a “nobody” in her Bostonian circles. Years later Violet recognized her mistake, but at the time, despite the objections, Wil and Joan sealed their love in marriage in 1958.
Eager to further his education and provide for his budding family, he returned to Harvard to study law. He surprised even himself with how adroitly he navigated the legal landscape. His exceptional intellect and work as an editor for the Harvard Law Review propelled him into a pivotal role at Bingham, Dana, and Gould, Boston’s most respected law firm.
Newly married, he and Joan began raising three children: Reed, Melissa, and Claire (turned Poonam). Even while raising three children, they were diligent about their own self-transformation process by going to therapy, reading books on psychology, journaling their dreams, and attending workshops. They would do whatever it took to do better and be better. They spoke openly until their last days of how they were always a work in progress. Their extraordinary accomplishment was that they consciously avoided passing on their deep childhood traumas to their children and, instead, created a safe nest from which their children could learn to fly and learn to make their own lives models of constant self-evolution.
Wil’s legal acumen did not go unnoticed. Attorney General of Massachusetts Elliott Richardson recognized his talents. When Richardson was appointed U.S. Attorney General, he invited Wil to serve as a deputy undersecretary at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, as well as in various other roles. He went with Richardson everywhere as his right hand man. In an interview done when he resigned, Wil was asked about his greatest accomplishment on the job. He answered, “It wasn’t what I did, it was what I didn’t do!” He explained that he provided legal bases for why various orders could not be fulfilled and thus he managed to protect the American people from the countless crooked shenanigans Nixon attempted.
After six years of government service, he returned to private corporate practice at Bingham, Dana, and Gould in Boston. He was gifted at the complexities of corporate law. When he was young, he found it all very stimulating, but decades later he referred to the work as toxic poison. Joan understood the toxic aspect all too well because she watched him morph from a creative writer-type fiancé to a corporate lawyer-type husband.
In 1986, after close to 30 years of waiting for her poet/writer husband to return to her, Joan gave Wil an ultimatum for him to once again become the man she married. Thus, at the remarkably early age of 55, to the dismay of his colleagues, Wil retired. He and Joan moved from bustling Boston to the tranquility of rural Hilltowns in western Massachusetts. Here, he immersed himself in the local community, soaking in the cultural nuances and forging deep connections for 26 years.
He embraced his "second life" in western Massachusetts. While his career had been primarily focused on the law, his heart lay in wanting to advance society and wanting to express himself through poetry. He threw himself into both. He also understood that to advance society, (think globally) he had to advance himself (act locally). In those 26 years, not only did Wil recreate his persona, embrace his divine feminine nature, embody compassion, and tune in to nature, but he also gave his support to many.
Among the many he supported were the West Cummington Congregational Church, the Creamery (a community hub), the innovative Treehouse intergenerational foster care community in Easthampton, the Enchanted Circle Theater in Holyoke, the Care Center in Holyoke, Snow Farm craft center in Williamsburg, The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts and the Hilltown Land Trust.
While he supported others, what supported him internally were his book and poetry groups whose members became intimate friends who sliced and diced words, imagery, and phrases in social context. It was this literary heart that provided solace during his final years. Feeling the burden of his age, when he needed self motivation for physical therapy, he often said, “I’m living to get a few more poems out of me.”
Wil lived comfortably but not extravagantly. He enjoyed life and traveled extensively but never sought status symbols. In his final year, the same day he mailed out large checks to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Care for America's Aging, and Doctors without Borders, he also sat at the dining table and glued the sole of his sneakers back on. He was a consummate Yankee - practical, frugal, and self-reliant with a tradition of ingenuity. He saved money so he could give it.
Wil remained active in retirement. Driven by his commitment to protecting the land he had come to adore, he became an advocate for land conservation. He founded the Hilltown Land Trust and developed it for more than a decade and securing over 1000 acres in trust ownership and more with conservation restrictions. Recognizing the need for the sustainability of the organization after his death, he painstakingly ensured that the trust would be woven into the state’s system while maintaining the Trust’s autonomy. His efforts will continue to resonate for years to come, solidifying his legacy as a man of intellect, compassion, and unwavering commitment to nature.
Wil had not been a church-going man, but the West Cummington Congregational Church was different and its community became his second family. The poetry from the pulpit was lyrical thanks to his minister, Steve Philbrick, who became like a brother. Wil was deepened being in those pews. It comforted him, animated him and gave him great joy. That love was tested when the historic church burned to the ground in January 2010. As many did, he gave his heart and soul to rebuilding the structure, organization, and community better than ever. The work was hard, but it fortified him.
In November of that year he lost Joan to cancer and wailed with all his being. Although this grief lasted a decade, soon after Joan’s passing he moved into a strange bifurcated realm punctuated with intense grief and potent joy because his love for Antonia Lake was allowed to blossom. While Antonia’s love fed Wil’s being to his core, Wil never failed to honor Joan with grace, and Antonia’s grace in accepting that was no less. With Antonia, an accomplished student of poetry, by his side, Wil became a prolific writer. He self-published several books and got one published as a poetry award. They lived as loving partners for 12 fulfilling years. In his final days when he was unable to be with her, he said, “Tell her I asked for her, and wanted her, and believed in her!”
Retirement for Wil was never about resting. His busy agenda kept him from complaining about the busy lives of his children and grandchildren. When he cleared his schedule for family holidays, he was the life of the party. His humor was entertaining and often absurd, but it was always intelligent, witty, and/or poignant. He infused both young and old with his love of travel, culture, mythology, mystery, and storytelling. He leaves behind five grandchildren who adore him (Emily Haynes, Matthew Cruz, Molly Hastings, Sean Hastings, and Shivani Dayal) and one great granddaughter, four year old Althea Haynes.
His last year was one of rapid decline, but he was supported by family every step of the way. When, after his bout with pneumonia, his congestive heart failure deepened in May, his intuition deepened too. He announced that he only had 30 days to live. He would have fulfilled that declaration, but he yearned to see the upcoming fireworks and that required him to stretch his deadline by an extra two weeks, which he did! To his great delight, he got a front row seat to a display of fireworks on July 1st with his family gathered for a final night of whiskey toasts. He faced death with a smile, full acceptance and relief, a brief moment of concern blended with fear, and a lot of gratitude before passing early in the morning on July 3rd, 2023 at the age of 88.
Wil always loved the role of the court jester because the jester speaks truth to power and gets away with it. Wil loved to play the character of the zany jester at gatherings, but he was no fool; he lived a strong and purpose-filled life, and he lives in the hearts of many.
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Memorial service: August 5th, 2023
Messages left on the comment page will be collected periodically but If anyone is interested in contacting the family to share stories or in attending the service, please email: [email protected];
Links to favored organizations:
(missing: the ones you already know- the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Doctors w/o Borders, Amnesty International, etc)
Care for America’s Aging
Care for America’s Aging is a project that improves preventive at home care and reveals evidence of a win-win-win dynamic between lowering overall costs, yet offers better pay, career advancement, and structural support for low paid home health aids who traditionally struggle and also yet also the project manages to improve patient quality of life & outcomes. With at least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are providing care and support to an older parent, spouse, friend, or neighbor who needs help because of a limitation in their physical, mental, or cognitive functioning, this need is self-evident.
Treehouse - Re-envisioning Foster Care,
Our vision: Every child rooted in family & community.
Treehouse offers ongoing family support, intergenerational programming, education/
homework support, and year-round enrichment programs for kids of all ages. We have
fields, playgrounds, a beautiful community center, and gathering spaces for community
events and activities. We also provide formal and informal supports for situations that can be challenging in each unique parenting journey.
Our Treehouse Easthampton Community is an award winning intergenerational
neighborhood designed to support pre-adoptive, adoptive and kinship families and
older adults who act as supportive neighbors and honorary grandparents. Over 100
people live in this beautiful affordable housing community with easy access to schools,
Easthampton's vibrant downtown, and the region.
Our pioneering social project called the Treehouse community is a 60-home village built from scratch nearly a decade ago in a broad former meadow near Mount Tom. The Treehouse Community was founded to support families that take in foster children in the hopes of stopping the bounce through the system. Now approaching its tenth year, the numbers reflect a success story and defy statistics on foster children.
It’s an uncommon place, where once-traumatized children are raised in a quiet neighborhood where the special needs of foster and adoptive families are supported and understood. It’s also a place where dozens of elderly residents have moved specifically to help these families in simple but critical ways — by walking children to school, by baby-sitting to give stressed parents a break — and to savor the simple pleasures of joining a community where their help and life experience are appreciated.
To find out more about the Treehouse Easthampton Community Mission,
go to www.treehousefoundation.net. For more information about living opportunities
for families at Treehouse, contact Tracey Levy, our Treehouse Easthampton Community
Facilitator - Call 413.527.7966 or send Tracey an email at [email protected]
The Care Center - breaking the cycle of poverty for young mothers in Holyoke
The Care Center helps young mothers and low-income women go to college to break the cycle of financial insecurity.The low-income young mothers who participate in our high school level program are predominantly women of color and have all dropped out of school. They typically come to The Care Center with the goal of passing the GED (now called HiSET). Despite being brilliant, capable, creative women, they have been told again and again by society that they have failed. They are made to believe that success, for them, looks like surviving at a low-income job in a cycle of poverty. The Care Center exists to reverse those harmful messages, help students fall back in love with learning and set their sights on college.
Like the best college preparatory schools in the country, we incorporate small class sizes, lively academics, athletics, and a commitment to success. Young mothers prepare to take the High School Equivalency exam (HiSET) and along the way, fall back in love with learning. While students read Plato, create artwork, write poetry, and row on the Connecticut River, supports such as transportation, daycare, counseling, meals, and a nurse practitioner allow them to concentrate on their studies. It works. 75% of our graduates — all young mothers who have dropped out of school — continue to college each year.
Our groundbreaking programs and our unique integration of education, arts and culture have been recognized nationally by The White House, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, and on National Public Radio.
Enchanted Circle Theater - in Holyoke
Enchanted Circle is a multi-service arts organization dedicated to engaging, enhancing and inspiring learning through the arts. We work in partnership with public schools and we collaborate with 60+ community partners and human service agencies to provide equal access to arts inspired learning for people of all ages and abilities. Founded in 1976, we are pioneers in the field of arts integration, integrating the performing and visual arts with academic and social curricula to improve student achievement and social emotional health. Our work fosters creative and critical thinking and bridges arts, education, and social services. We hold ourselves to the highest academic and artistic standards, and have a proven history of excellence, rigor, and community engagement. Our partnerships are built on an unwavering commitment to equity, inclusion and socially-just practices.
The Hilltown Land Trust
Hilltown Land Trust holds Conservation Restrictions for 35 privately owned properties and is adding more CRs each year. Many of the landowners who have a Conservation Restriction with HLT have also opened sections of their properties to be used as hiking trails open to the public.
Taproot Commons Farm in Cummington has a short trail to a waterfall open to the public.
The Freedberg property in Chester., has two trails that lead to Round Top Hill, the highest elevation in Hampden County
The Redwin property has a trail with views of Roberts Meadows Brook in Westhampton.
Properties Owned by Hilltown Land Trust = over 1000 acres
Bradley Sanctuary, Williamsburg: 41 acres with a 2 mile loop trail system. Gift of Oliver Bradley and Barbara Bradley Rust. Click here for a trail map and info
Breckenridge Sanctuary, Williamsburg: 67 acres with a 1 mile loop trail system. Gift of Margaret Breckenridge. Click here for a trail map and info.
Jackson Swamp, Worthington: 110 landlocked acres without a public access easement. Gift of Karl Davies Sr.
Stevens and Weiss, Huntington & Westhampton: Over 460 acres including nearly 5 miles of hiking trails and a Beaver pond. Much of this property was gifted by Frank Stevens. An adjacent 82 acres of forest land gifted by Dr. Nancy Weiss. Click here for a trail map and info.
Hastings, Worthington: 60+ acres of forest land on Prentice Road donated by Wilmot Hastings. There are currently no formal trails on this property.
Conwell, South Worthington: 70 acres of forest land with 3 miles of out-and-back trails. Gift of Cynthia Conwell Cook and Peter Cook. Click here for a trail map and info.
Lashway, Westhampton: 145 acres of forest land on Hanging Mountain as well as over a mile of frontage along Robert’s Meadow Brook. This property is accessible from North Road, but there are currently no formal trails on the property.
Hilltown Land Trust protects land and promotes ecological diversity and health, respectful land stewardship, historic character, and natural beauty in our hilltowns. Our project committee and Executive Director work with landowners to permanently protect ecologically valuable land in the Hilltowns. If you think you may be interested in working with HLT to protect your property, please contact our Executive Director, Sally Loomis. To learn more about our work and vision, read our Seven-Year Strategic Plan: 2016-2023. Visualize the region we serve with Hilltown Land Trust’s service area map