Curt W. “Bill” Hibbard Jr., a longtime reporter and editor for the Milwaukee Journal, died Wednesday, July 1. He was 92.
Hibbard was born Sept. 27, 1927, in Jefferson, to Lisette (Reinel) and Curt W. Hibbard Sr. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17 near the end of WWII and went on to serve 30 years in the Naval Reserves Intelligence Unit, retiring as a full commander.
After graduating with his journalism degree from UW-Madison in 1950, Hibbard started his career covering city hall and police for the Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph-Herald. A year later, he returned to Wisconsin to join the reporting staff at the Journal.
Hibbard reported on a variety of topics for the Journal, from federal buildings and aviation to menswear and travel. From 1958 to 1964, Hibbard worked exclusively for the Men’s Section, reporting on menswear, camping, canoeing, skiing and other outdoors activities.
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In 1964, Hibbard was named travel editor for the Journal, a role that sent him to Mexico, Canada, Europe, Africa and Japan. Hibbard earned numerous travel writing awards for his work, including one of the field’s most prestigious honors, the George Hedman Award for Excellence in Travel Writing.
Hibbard was married 59 years to his wife, Edith. Together they had two children, Mary Ellen and Curt. They also had a grandson, Curt W. Hibbard IV.
A memorial service will be held at a later time in the Door County village of Egg Harbor, where the family has owned a summer home for 50 years.
