Hanna Hastings

Hanna Machlup Hastings was born in Vienna, Austria in 1930 and emigrated to the United States in 1935, growing up in Washington, DC and Buffalo, New York. She first arrived in Woods Hole in the summer of 1961, accompanying her husband, Woody, who was director of the physiology course and doing research at MBL. Over the next 50 plus years, Hanna and Woody spent their summers first on Devil's Lane circle, then at their own house at 1 Wilson Rd, and ending up in town, overlooking Stoney Beach and Great Harbor on Spencer Baird Rd.

While raising four children, Hanna received her Master's degrees in History and Educational Counseling and taught in community college. She finished her career as Director of Student Affairs at The Harvard School of Public Health.

While at Woods Hole she was on her career track; at the same time she ran the active social lives of her family. She and Woody had a huge circle of friends, some of whom were Woody's academic collaborators from winters at Northwestern or Harvard, while other friendships from the United Kingdom and Israel were forged over children and sandwiches on Stoney Beach, folk singing or dancing at the MBL club, or Children's School of Science field trips.

Hanna loved to swim and Stoney Beach was her absolute favorite. "The best water in the world!" She also loved to ride her bike and, when her balance became less reliable, she transitioned to a spiffy racing recumbent tricycle with a flag on the back, that many in Woods Hole still remember. Her smile was infectious, and her joy of movement, friends and life are memorable.