DR. WILLIAM S. HATTEN

Dr. William S. Hatten, 92, of Lakeland, Fla., died Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009.

Born in Oak Park, Ill., Dr. Hatten moved to Lakeland in 1988 after retiring from Kohler Co. in Wisconsin as group vice president of Engines and Generators and a member of the board of directors.

Dr. Hatten was associate vice president for advancement at Florida Southern College. He received his B.A. at Lawrence College, his M.B.A. at Northwestern University, and his doctorate in business administration at Kennedy-Western University.

Dr. Hatten was on the Advisory Council of the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland, the Advisory Board of the Polk Theatre, the board of the Downtown Lakeland Partnership, a board member of the Polk County Cultural Arts Board, and a member of the Tuesday Morning Music Club and a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church.

He was chair of the Florida Southern/Carpenters Partnership at the Estates at Carpenters, treasurer of Historic Lakeland, Inc., and treasurer of the Arts in Healthcare Polk, Inc. He served on the board of trustees of the Polk Theatre and was active in fund raising to restore the historic theatre.

Dr. Hatten was selected by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation as the 2006 recipient of the Evelyn Fortune Bartlett Award for Lifetime Achievement in Preservation Stewardship.

Dr. Hatten was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Marjorie Popp Hatten. He is survived by his daughter, Patricia Pendleton (Dudley), and two grandsons, William and Judson.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel at Florida Southern College.

The family requests no flowers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dr. William S. Hatten Scholarship for the School of Business Administration at Florida Southern College or to the Patricia Hatten Pendleton Foundation at The Birmingham Zoo, 2630 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, AL 35223. Condolences may be sent to the family at heathfuneralchapel.com.