Wittenberg emerita board member Susan Hirt Hagen ’57 passed away peacefully on June 15. A daughter of Henry Orth Hirt, who graduated in 1911, Susan earned a bachelor of arts degree from Wittenberg in 1957, majoring in psychology/sociology and English. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority and Psi Chi honor society and a longtime supporter of Wittenberg University.
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Society recognized Susan, presenting her the 2010 Distinguished Citizen of the Commonwealth Award. Given to those individuals who have “brought credit or special benefit to the welfare of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” the award was created in 1976, and to date, only 20 individuals have received it, including Princess Grace of Monaco, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Samuel J. Roberts and environmentalist Rachel Carson.
Susan received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Wittenberg in May 2011 in recognition of her distinguished career and community engagement and a Wittenberg Alumni Citation in 1982 for community service. Susan was a long-time board member of the “Fortune 500” Erie Insurance Group, founded by her father, for whom the H.O. Hirt Endowed Chair in History at Wittenberg is named. In 2009, she received the highest honor for community service in Erie, the Edward C. Doll Award, as well as the 2010 Sustainer of the Year Award from the Junior League of Erie.
In August 2011, she took her commitment to service one step further by giving the largest cash gift ever received from a living individual to Wittenberg. The $6 million gift endowed the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic & Urban Engagement, which has been described by former Ohio Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher as “the model” for how universities should engage with their communities to promote economic development and ensure that generations of students are committed to civic engagement. In 2012, she was inducted into the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges’ Hall of Excellence for her dedication to service and community engagement.
Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Orth Hirt '11 and Ruth Louise Hirt as well as her brother, F. William Hirt ‘47. Susan is survived by her husband of 57 years, Thomas B. Hagen; a son, Jonathan Hirt Hagen (Rekha); a daughter, Sarah Hagen McWilliams '88 (Bruce); three grandchildren, Neena, Annika and Erik Hagen; and two nieces, Elizabeth Hirt Vorsheck (William) and Laurel A. Hirt.
