William Hugh McGinley passed away peacefully on December 2, 2022. He raised his two children, Bryan and Laura, and had many dog and cat companions that were like children to him.

Hugh was born in Los Angeles in 1935 and joined an older brother Robert growing up in “the little Marwick house” in Long Beach, CA. He often talked about fishing the streams there that no longer exist and reminisced about their house surrounded by farms and how he would pick up produce from the roadside stands on his way home from school. He also spent a lot of time at the beach and had a group of good friends he ran around with and remained in contact with over the years of his life.

In 1953 at age 18, Hugh joined the USAF. He was assigned to the 303rd Armament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron, a division of the 303rd Bomb Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. He reached the level of Staff Sargent and was an Aircraft Electronic Navigation Equipment Repairman on the Boeing B-47 Statojet bomber plane, serving 18 months overseas during the Korean War. He received the National Defense Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

After his release from the military, Hugh began along the path of academic training and career. He attended community college at Long Beach City College, obtained his B.A. in Psychology from UCLA in 1961, his M.A. in Experimental Psychology from California State College at Long Beach in 1964, and his Ph.D. in Experimental Social Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 1968.

He began his teaching career in Kentucky in 1968, then took a position at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada from 1968-1970. In 1970, he landed his job at the University of Wyoming, where he remained a Professor of Psychology until his retirement in 1997.

All those who knew Hugh likely discussed politics at some point. He believed very much in being an engaged and well-informed citizen who could contribute knowledge and time to benefit the public good. Hugh served on the Laramie City Council from 1978 to 1988 and held the role of vice-mayor for many of those years. In the following decades, he served on many volunteer boards, including Friends of the Albany County Public Library and UniWyo Federal Credit Union. He also felt very dedicated to financially supporting organizations that worked in wilderness preservation, endangered animals and lands, and conserving natural resources.

Hugh had several lifelong hobbies. He was an outdoorsman who was thrilled with living in Wyoming with access to fishing, hiking, and skiing. When his kids were young, summers were filled with hiking Vedauwoo, the Snowy Range, or the prairie behind the house and fishing at the 9-Mile Lake. Winters were filled with downhill skiing, an activity he enjoyed well into his 80’s. He liked helping coach his kid’s Peewee baseball teams and played a lot of basketball scrimmage games in the driveway of the house with Bryan and his friends. Later in life, he loved playing golf with his son, brother, and nephews. He was an avid walker and spent hours with his dog companions in the east hills of Laramie.

Hugh and his daughter Laura enjoyed frequent conversations on their favorite topics of politics, trees, and cooking. Since the 1970’s, Hugh belonged to a local Foreign Foods group that provided him much joy. Laura’s fondest memories of her dad often related to food. He was always fiddling with experimental recipes throughout their childhood and at holiday meals. He took her to Asian food markets in California because he grew up shopping at them in his younger years and was fond of the diverse foods found there. Laura inherited his love for green tea, a great passion for lemons, and an appreciation of a perfect fruit pie.

On the night of December 2, Laura stepped outside of Hugh’s house after learning of his passing. Towards the west, a brilliant bolide “fireball” meteoroid appeared directly in front of her. She watched as it blazed downward, bright as the sun, and then exploded in a shower of glittering light. She thought it a perfectly fitting exclamation point for her dad’s life.

His son Bryan preceded Hugh in death in 2017. His daughter Laura of Laramie, granddaughter Sage Winter of Colorado, brother Robert of California, many nieces and nephews, long-time friend Rich Gelman of California, and his cat Abba survive him.

An informal celebration of Hugh’s life will be on December 17th at the 3411 Alta Vista Dr. house in Laramie. Guests can drop in anytime between 10 am and 1 pm to enjoy a hot drink, eat a cookie, and pay their respects. Condolences and communications can be sent to this address as well.