Hazel Forwood Bundy

Born July 4, 1910 in Central IN to Grover Cleveland and Leola Blanche [Miles] Forwood, she was a 1927 graduate of Springfield High School in Springfield IL and a 1934 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Otterbein College, Westerville OH with B.A. and B.Mus. Degrees. Hazel married Francis Pettit Bundy on October 24, 1936 in Springfield IL, and they lived in Westerville OH for 1 year, in Athens OH for 5 years, in West Medford MA for 3 years, and in Alplaus NY for 47 years, before moving to Otterbein. She was active as a pianist during her entire life. 

In Alplaus and Schenectady, she was accompanist and pianist in various musical groups, including Music Study Club and the Schenectady Light Opera Co. She was a member of the AAUW, and the Music for Performers group, organist at Alplaus Methodist Church for 10 years, a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club, and many conservation groups, including The Nature Conservancy. She was also a member of the Schenectady Museum, Friends of the Library, and other civic and cultural organizations; a member of the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club, the Mohawk Soaring Club and the Soaring Society of America. At Otterbein-Lebanon she continued activities as a pianist. Hazel was full of curiosity and was an enthusiastic international traveler, birdwatcher, equestrian, and Northeast Women's Soaring Champion. 

Preceded in death by her parents, and sister, Maxine [nee: Forwood] Conrad of Newark OH, she is survived by her husband, 4 children, John F. Bundy of Rosman NC, David S. Bundy of Syracuse NY, Suzanne B. Moffat of Chester VT, and Freda B. Hofland of Los Altos Hills CA, 2 grandchildren, Suzanne F. Rollinson of Waimate New Zealand, and Marlys [nee: Hofland] Underwood of Sisters OR, and 3 great grandchildren, Stuart John, Bridget Louise, and Kathleen Claire Rollinson, all of Waimate New Zealand, and sister, Mildred [nee: Forwood] Garling of Lebanon OH. Private funeral services have been held by the immediate family. Memorials, if so desired, may be sent to the Otterbein-Lebanon Benevolent Fund, 585 N. State Rt. 741, Lebanon OH 45036.

Philanthropy at Work

(Originally printed in Otterbein Tan Lines, the Alumni Magazine of Otterbein College)

When Francis and Hazel Bundy began their studies at Otterbein College in the late 1920s, they did not realize how much this small liberal arts college would enrich their lives and touch their hearts. Through nearly 68 years of marriage and a lifetime of memories, the Bundy's have continued to support the campus that brought them together so many years ago.

As dedicated members of the United Brethren Church, Francis and Hazel chose to attend Otterbein College because of their religious beliefs. Neither of them had much money and had to work their way through college. Francis’ father moved his family to Westerville so that Francis could attend Otterbein. When he wasn’t studying chemistry, mathematics and physics, Francis worked in his father’s small greenhouse to help make ends meet.

During the second semester of his freshman year, Francis ran out of money and received a letter from the school treasurer that he would be kicked out of school if he did not pay his tuition. Determined to continue his studies, Francis presented an idea to the treasurer.

“I had taught myself how to write calligraphy, so I told the treasurer I would write the names on all the diplomas in calligraphy in order to pay for my tuition,” Francis said. “He told me we would have to talk to the president.” “President Clippinger was a dignified person with bushy eyebrows and most of us were afraid of him. But when he called me into his office to talk about this, I found out that he really had our best interests at heart,” he said. President Clippinger agreed to Francis’ proposal and paid him $.50 a diploma for his calligraphy work; work he would continue for the next 10 years as a favor to the president. “I have had a soft spot in my heart for him ever since,” Francis said. “That is why we named Clippinger classroom in Towers Hall after him. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it through college.”

Although they are both the same age, Hazel appeared on the Otterbein campus as a freshman when Francis was a senior. “Hazel was walking to math class and I was walking the other way to English class –and I spotted her right away,” Francis recalled. “One look was all it took.”

Hazel was the daughter of a United Brethren Church minister, and although they moved around frequently, she and her two sisters were determined to go to college. “After high school, my sisters and I worked at a newspaper office and put our little checks in the bank. We lived at home and saved our money,” she said.

Hazel began her education at Otterbein three years after graduating from high school in Springfield, Illinois. “It was very exciting for me to go off to college,” she said. “I lived in Cochran Hall with my sister for two years on the fourth floor in the northeast corner –I just loved that room. Cochran Hall is very dear to the hearts of everyone who lived there.”

Hazel was an avid piano player, playing for the Otterbein Glee Club and accompanying many soloists. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Otterbein. “I worked out two degrees in four years by taking extra courses,” Hazel said. “I liked to learn and I was always a good student.”

After Francis received his PhD in physics from OSU, he and Hazel were married in 1936. Francis taught physics at Ohio University in Athens from1937 to 1942. During World War II, he worked at an underwater sound lab at Harvard University. From there, he went to work for GE’s research lab in Schenectady, New York for 47 years, where he became the first person on his team to make the man-made diamond. During this time, Hazel continued to play piano and began her career as a mother of four. Although Francis’ science career took them to many universities, Otterbein always remained close to their hearts.

After leaving Ohio, Francis and Hazel were not able to visit the Otterbein campus as much as they would have liked, but their commitment to the college never wavered. Through the years, they have remained consistent contributors to the Annual Fund and have directed gifts to various campaigns including the Cornerstone Campaign, Towers Hall Renovation, Clements Recreation and Fitness Center, endowed scholarship funds and the Choir Tour fund to name just a few. Their lifetime giving places them in the Heritage Fellowship Benefactor’s Circle.

“We have felt quite honored and dedicated to Otterbein

College,” Francis said. In 1956, Otterbein awarded Francis the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and in 1959, an honorary doctorate of science degree.

Francis and Hazel came home to Ohio 11 years ago, when they took up residence in the Otterbein Lebanon Retirement Home. Although there is no formal connection to the college, many Otterbein alumni reside there.

“When we came to the retirement home, we renewed many friendships with people we knew at Otterbein,” Hazel said. “There’s something really nice about finding people you knew when you were young,” she said.

Francis and Hazel’s dedication to and support of Otterbein College began many years ago, but their generosity continues to affect future generations of Otterbein students who will also work their way through college, create lasting memories, and maybe, if they’re lucky, meet the love of their life while walking to English class.

If you, or someone you know, would like to share a memory of Hazel and have it posted on this page, please send it to:

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