Charles F. Hilly, Jr.

Charles F. Hilly, Jr. passed away in Palo Alto, California on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at the age of 103.  He was born May 21, 1918 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He attended the Boston Latin School and graduated from Northeastern School of Law in 1941.  After admission to the Massachusetts Bar, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Cadet.  Following flight school training, he was commissioned an Aviation Flight Specialist and assigned to the Training Division of the Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C.  Post hostilities, he was transferred to the Office of Naval Research, Boston, where for the next few years, as an officer and a civil servant, he was responsible for the legal and administrative oversight of ONR’s research and development contracts with various colleges and universities throughout New England. 

In 1950, the newly formed Stanford Research Institute invited him to join SRI and lead the development of its’ business policy and procedures for dealing with various U.S. Government agencies, as well as private companies.  He continued to serve as a corporate officer until he retired in 1989.  During this period, he spent considerable time in Washington D.C., not only attending to SRI’s affairs, but also made substantial contributions on behalf of the entire Research & Development industry as an officer and active participant in the Federal Bar Association and the Council of Defense Associations.  This involved interface with the Department of Defense and hearings before various Congressional Committees in the development of procurement laws and regulations. 

In 1955, Chuck married Mary Lee Richardson, a research assistant in the Granger Group which transferred from Harvard to SRI.  They immediately took up residence in Los Altos to be “in the country.”  Over the years, they were active participants in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League, Santa Rita Parents Association, Stanford Golf, University Club swim team and the development of Christ Episcopal Church.  During the Summer, they retreated to a summer home off the coast of Maine. 

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Lee, his son Dick and wife Dianne, daughter Kathy Maskell and husband Blake, grandsons Mike Hilly and wife Nicole, Marc Hilly and wife Tatiana, granddaughters Courtney and Amanda Maskell, and two great granddaughters.