W. Hale Watkins

W. (William) Hale Watkins died on February 2, 2010 at the Columbus Alzheimer Care Center where he had resided for two years in a decade-long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born in Charleston, West Virginia the son of the late Dr. Charles E. and Mary Alice Watkins, he was a forty year resident of Upper Arlington. He received a B.A.in Political Science from West Virginia University and a J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law. In 1964 he earned an LL.M. (Master of Laws) degree from George Washington University. He was a lifetime Mountaineer fan and a supporter of WVU athletics. He began his professional career in the litigation division of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C. Subsequently, he worked in the legal department at United Fuel Gas Co. in Charleston, WV, and completed his professional career as Labor Relations attorney and legal department Senior Attorney at Columbia Gas Corporation in Columbus. Following his retirement in 1994, he worked for several years as a volunteer in the emergency room at Mt. Carmel West Hospital. His memberships included the state bar associations of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. An avid golfer, he was a member of The Country Club at Muirfield Village and a non-resident member of Pinehurst Country Club and the Bald Head Island Club, both in North Carolina; Upper Arlington Lutheran Church; and Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. He is preceded in death by a brother Charles Brooks Watkins. He is survived by his wife, Maggie (Hess); son David and daughter-in-law Pamela; daughter, Nancy Pridgen; and two grandsons, Tyler Pridgen and Michael Watkins, all of Upper Arlington. Friends may meet family members at SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST CHAPEL, 1740 Zollinger Rd, Friday, February 12, 2010 from 6-8 PM. A memorial service will be held at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church at 11:30 AM on Saturday, February 13, 2010. Donations in his memory may be made to the West Virginia University Foundation, P.O. Box 0877, Morgantown, WV 26507-0877; to the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, 3500 Mill Run Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026 or Alzheimer’s Association, 3380 Tremont Rd, Columbus, OH 43221-04252. Online condolences may be made to www.schoedinger.com