Edward “Ted” Morton Jennings III

Ted Jennings, a retired English professor, passed peacefully Jan. 18 at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Silverdale, with his three daughters and wife Sally, his partner of 72 years and the love of his life, by his side. Ted and Sally had moved to Wyatt House on Bainbridge Island last May from Albany, N.Y., to be closer to their children and grandchildren on the West Coast. He was 89 years old.

Ted was a beloved father and grandfather, a forward-thinking scholar, an engaging teacher, and a soft-spoken civic leader. Over six decades in the Upper Hudson region, he strengthened the symphony orchestra, the art and history museum, land conservation, and local schools and libraries. He was a loyal tenor for 40 years in the choir at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Albany.

Ted was born April 2,1936 in Boston. He graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was stroke and captain of both the lightweight and heavyweight crew. After a six-year stint in the Navy, the eighth generation in his family to serve, he earned his PhD at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the English Department faculty of the State University of New York at Albany in 1968. He gained national recognition for teaching one of the first “virtual” computer-assisted writing courses, for publishing one of the first electronic “paperless” academic journals, and for being on the forefront of championing science fiction as a subject worthy of serious study.

Ted is survived by Sally; daughters Anne of Berkeley, Katie of Bainbridge Island, and Penny of San Francisco; his sons in law, Andy Stacklin and Jonathan Rabinovitz; his grandchildren Cassandra Stacklin (and spouse Gail Gallagher) of Oakland, Walker Hauptman (and spouse Savannah) of Bainbridge Island, and Benjamin Hauptman of Seattle; and his brother Charles (and spouse Tina) of Columbia, MD.

A memorial service will be held at St. Barnabas Church on Bainbridge Island at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. Plans are being made for a service to be held in Albany. For more about Ted, please see the obituary on the Cook Family Funeral Home website.