Michael Hakeem

MADISON - Michael Hakeem, age 90, professor emeritus of sociology, UW-Madison, died on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006, at Oakwood Nursing Home, Madison, of old age. He was born in Fall River, Mass., on Sept. 5, 1916, to Joseph and Sophia Daghir Hakeem, both immigrants of Syria. Mike, the youngest of several children, was the only one to graduate from high school. He attended Rhode Island State University, then transferred to Ohio State University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1942. He worked for the Illinois state prison system before completing his Ph.D. at Ohio State in 1950. He married Helen Louise Cook on June 8, 1949. Mike published numerous articles on criminology, the penal system and juvenile delinquency before joining the UW-Madison sociology faculty in 1952. The couple lived for 34 years at their much-loved home on Caldy Place, designed in 1968 by Kaiser and McCloud. His wife, Helen, died at age 82, on Feb. 18, 2003. Before retiring in 1983, Mike influenced several generations of students to employ reasoning skills. A "devout atheist," Mike served for many years as chair of the Executive Council of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, was a volunteer and wrote a column, "The Unreasoning Clergy," for Freethought Today newspaper. He was one of several state employee-plaintiffs who successfully sued to end Good Friday as a mandatory state holiday in FFRF v. Tommy Thompson (1996.) When he moved into Oakwood for nursing care, he donated his collection of more than 12,000 volumes, which he had begun collecting at age 17, to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focus was "a fascinating view of the proselytization methods used by evangelical religious organizations in America," according to Friends of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries. The library termed the collection "of major importance." Mike loved musicals, was a voracious reader, and had an intense interest in current events and news. Despite impaired health, Mike retained his keen intellect, curiosity, memory and sense of humor until the end. Mike requested cremation and no memorial service.