 Hathaway attended the Western Reserve Academy from 1949–1951 and Cornell University’s School of Agriculture from 1951–1955.After receiving his BS in agriculture studies, Hathaway attended Officer Candidate School and commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy, where he served on board the destroyer escort, USS "McGinty", stationed in Pearl Harbor.He rose in the ranks to become lieutenant and the ship's gunnery officer before leaving the Navy in June 1959 with an honorable discharge.