Hugh J. Short

Hugh Joseph Short, 98, of South Burlington, VT died at home of old age on Nov. 4, 2020. He lived and died surrounded by his large family. Hugh was married to his wife Florence for nearly 75 years and they raised eleven children. He said he wanted no tears shed because he had a long and wonderful life. Still, that long life was not enough for those close to him and the loss is mourned deeply. Hugh was born in Newark, New Jersey on March 3, 1922 the son of Frank and Catherine (MacKenzie) Short. He grew up in Hillside, NJ. during the Great Depression. He showed athletic talent from an early age, especially as a runner. In high school he was a track and cross-country standout. He was New Jersey state champion in the 440-yard and 880-yard dashes. As a junior he won the national title for the 1000-yard run with a time of 1:19. He had never run the distance before that race. Although a sprinter, he was also a top high school cross country runner. Several colleges offered scholarships and he choose to attend Georgetown University. Running during the days of cider tracks and steeply-banked indoor wood tracks, Hugh produced records that often stood for decades. While competing for Georgetown, he was the 1942 IC4A national champion in the 440-yard dash, running 47.2. He equaled the world record in the indoor 600-yard dash with a time of 1:10.2 at the 1943 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He had only run that distance once in practice. He was awarded Outstanding Performance for the meet. He anchored the indoor mile relay team which also set a world record, clocking 3:17.2. The team was in third place when Hugh sped off with the baton. Hugh is a member of the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame. Hughs college career was interrupted by World War II. He volunteered to serve his country in the Army. Based on test scores, he was selected to return to campus. Wanting to see action, he refused his orders to stay stateside. His commanding officer acquiesced but sent him back to basic training a second time, Hugh thought, "to teach him a lesson." He was in the 85th Infantry "Custer" Division and held the rank of private first class as a scout in army intelligence. Hugh saw action in Italy, positioned at the front of his unit to report enemy locations to his commanding officer. He never fired his rifle in battle, but his marksmanship was legendary. He received the Bronze Star for meritorious service. During this time Hugh and Florence started their relationship through overseas letters. She happened to know Hughs cousin who showed her the photo in the New York Times of his world record race. She decided to write letters to a "lonely soldier." Awaiting orders when the European war ended, he wrote home asking for his running shoes. He started running in the beautiful Italian Alps and gradually other soldiers joined him. The commanding officers were looking for a way to occupy the idle troops so track meets were organized. The African-American soldiers in the 92nd Division were invited to join. Hugh was instrumental in starting an integrated team in an army still racially segregated. Some years later when invited to join a prestigious track club he refused because of the exclusion of Jews and African-Americans. After returning home, he married Florence Gallagher on Dec. 1, 1945, the woman of his dreams. They started a family while he attended The University of Michigan, graduating in 1947 with a degree in Journalism. Moving to New York, he worked days and attended night school, receiving his Masters in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. He started his teaching career in social studies in Rockland County, NY. During his early years of teaching, Hugh contributed to a history textbook used in Catholic schools. He was inducted into the Rockland County Athletic Hall of Fame for his coaching. Once described as the original hippies, Hugh and Florence moved to Montgomery Center, Vermont in 1955. They sought out a beautiful place to raise their family. They had an early interest in good nutrition and raising their own food. Even though he only taught and coached at Enosburg Falls Junior-Senior High School for two years, he was remembered by his students who invited him to their 50-year reunion and inducted him into their Athletic Hall of Fame for coaching in 2012. In 1957, Hugh and Florence moved to Chittenden where they lived and gardened for 45 years. Hugh used a wheelbarrow and hand-tools to farm, and cut and carry wood. Animals were a constant presence where chickens, goats, sheep and pigs took over in the yard. Ponies joined the menagerie and Hugh raised many foals. Making due with what he had, he built beautiful fences from ash wood boughs. His kids rode bareback with just a metal bit and baling twine reins. Hugh taught history at Rutland High School for 27 years. During the 1960s Civil Rights Era, he offered an elective in African-American Studies, considered forward thinking at the time. He received the Distinguished Secondary School Teaching Award from the John Haye Foundation of Harvard University in 1964. The class of 1965 honored him with their yearbook dedication, stating, "A teacher of United States History, Mr. Short, has given his students not only a sterling example to model themselves by, but a sense of pride in their nations past, an awareness of the present, and direction for the future." Students he taught in the 1970s established a social studies scholarship in his name. Hugh coached track and field and cross country running over more than four decades in New York and Vermont schools. From the 1950s to the 1980s he coached at Rutland High School and Mount St. Joseph Academy. He had many championship teams and individual champions, including his own children. He had success putting together teams at small schools that would surpass large schools and go on to compete at top meets. He said, "To run a 4:20 mile, you had to run against 4:20 milers." With shoestring budgets, he found ways to get the best athletes into meets outside the region. Known for his progressive coaching principles and great heart, when told how the athletes all loved him, he would say, "Not all of them!" Hugh inspired many others to coach and his impact on the sport ripples through Vermont running programs to this day. After 25 years away from running, Hugh returned to competition. Remarkably he took his sprinting talent to road racing and marathon running. He covered over 100 miles a week and went without missing a day of running for several years. He ran 27 marathons, including 12 at Boston. His personal best was 2:54, at age 57, in Boston in 1979. At age 80 his last race was the family relay, the Running Shorts, at the Vermont City Marathon. His motto was, "keep moving," and he continued to run as he approached his 90th birthday. Hugh had a life-long love of Ireland and was proud of his Irish ancestry. He started working on his genealogy as a teenager and went on to study and teach Celtic history and cultures. He worked on learning the Irish language. He loved the music, especially the Clancy Bothers and Tommy Makem. Hugh was proud that his wife Florence was born in Dublin. They made three trips back to visit family and tour the green countryside, once he ran the Dublin marathon. Hugh was a devout Catholic and helped organize a mission to Chittenden, affiliated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Rutland. He raised interest and funds to build St. Roberts Church. Hugh was skilled in drawing, carving wood and working with clay. One expression of his artistic talent was a crche of clay figures displayed at Columbia University. Especially striking was a Wise Man kneeling with a lamb across his knee. Hugh had a career teaching but often took on extra work. Some was menial and backbreaking. Despite his education and the opportunities that afforded, he understood and was humbled by the hard work others did. He knew how government functioned and how it could better support communities. He was a delegate to the Vermont State Democratic Convention. He joined actions throughout his life to call attention to socioeconomic and racial injustice. He was among the thousands who followed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Poor Peoples March in 1964 and witnessed the "I Have a Dream" speech. He fought for the Title IX Law for gender equality, wanting his daughters to have the same opportunities as his sons. In 2011, at age 89, he protested with three generations of family during the Occupy Wall St. Movement. His sign said, "Be Honest, Be Fair, Dont Knuckle Under." Hugh could be brutality honest and tough. He wanted his three sons to be tougher and his eight daughters to be the toughest. In an unassuming way, Hugh pioneered through nearly a century. He lived a minimalist lifestyle before sustainability was a catchphrase. He was overly generous when finances allowed, he said, "to stimulate the economy." Although he wanted Florence and the kids to have the things, his possessions could fit in a brown paper bag. He measured abundance by the people he tenderly loved and who loved him in return. Hugh whispered his last words to Florence, "I love you madly." Hugh is survived by his wife of nearly 75 years, Florence Short, the longest married couple in the state of Vermont. Hugh said it was his favorite record. He leaves his eleven children: Frank and Helen Short of St. Albans, Michael Short of Burlington, Katie Bell of Grass Valley, Calif., Maureen Short and Stan Katz of New Haven, Peter Short of Reseda, Calif., Mariellen and Matthew Facchino, of San Jose, Calif., Maria Short of Fletcher, Christine Short of South Burlington, Eileen Short of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Julia and Scott Batdorff of Portland, Ore., and Deirdre Short of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Hugh had 21 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. He leaves many special and long-time friends. He was predeceased by his sisters, Marion Sauer and Peggy Short. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at The Catholic Center at UVM, Burlington, on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 11:00 AM. Due to Covid-19 this is by invitation only. A full celebration of Hughs life and internment is postponed until safe travel is possible. Arrangements are being handled by Ready Funeral & Cremation South Chapel, 261 Shelburne Rd., Burlington. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the University of Vermont Health Network Home Health and Hospice, Hospice Program, 111 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446. The family is grateful for the kind and professional care they gave Hugh.