He left IU to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Hastings received a Bachelor of Science degree from West Point in 1920 and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Field Artillery.

After leaving the army, Hastings entered the Indiana University School of Law.

Hastings was a charter member of the IU Foundation and served on its board of directors from 1936 to 1969.

Hastings also served on IU President John Ryan's Ad Hoc Committee of Special Consultants on Legal Education at Indiana University in 1975.

[1] Hastings was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 14, 1957, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated by Judge James Earl Major.