Keith Niles Hull

Keith Niles Hull died in Manhattan on October 3, 2024, after a brief illness. Born in Laramie, Wyoming to Andrew J. Hull III and Helen Curran July 13, 1938, he lived in Seattle during World War II where his father worked as an engineer for Boeing, returning to Laramie in 1948. At 18, Keith enlisted in the US Marine Corps, where he worked as an Infantry radio operator. After military service, he enrolled in the University of Wyoming, becoming an English major, avid rock climber, and member of the UW Outing Club. He graduated with a BA in 1962. In 1963, he received an MA in English and married Lynne Leary from Los Alamos, New Mexico. Keith and Lynne divorced in 1992.

Keith received a PhD in English Literature from the University of Washington in 1969. He returned to the University of Wyoming as an Assistant Professor of English, rising to became Professor and later Chair of the English department. Keith loved teaching and received every teaching award the University offered. He also enjoyed acting in plays with the UW Department of Theatre and Dance. A serious runner, he completed more than one 50-mile marathon. He never took himself too seriously, however; he loved jokes, word play, goofy impersonations, and made friends wherever he went.

In 2009, Keith married Amanda Porterfield, a Professor of Religion at Florida State University. Living in Florida, he discovered several parks around Tallahassee that were ideal for running. He and Amanda enjoyed bird watching at Saint Mark’s Wildlife Refuge, and visits to the old sponge-fishing town of Apalachicola. He performed the role of Grandfather in Tallahassee’s Pas de Vie Ballet’s Nutcracker for several seasons.

Keith and Amanda moved to Manhattan when she retired, exploring the city’s arts and cultural institutions and deepening their shared interests in ballet, music, and visual arts. Keith spent time in Central Park and Riverside Park, drawing plants and small scenes in watercolor. A lifelong reader and film buff, Keith had wide-ranging interests in fiction, military history, painting, and cinema. He always had an open book beside his reading chair and another at his bedside, and he loved going to the movies.

While living in New York, he made regular trips back to Laramie, visiting his daughters and grandchildren, and his friends Jake and Janice Jacquot, with whom he enjoyed crosswords and back country camping trips to the canyons of Utah.

Keith is survived by his wife, Amanda Porterfield, his daughters Katy Dunn and Plum Hull, his stepson Nick Kline, his grandchildren Maxwell Dunn and Olivia Schultz, and his brothers Dave Hull and Casey Hull. They all loved him dearly and will miss him forever.