Francis C. Haber, 69, a retired University of Maryland professor who had served as chairman of the department from 1968 to 1972, died March 11.

Dr. Haber specialized in intellectual history, especially the history of science. Among his books was The Age of the World from Moses to Darwin, in which he discussed how discoveries in geology affected thinking about time and the age of the world.

More recently he had done research on attitudes towards technology and scientific thinking and moral aspects of technological development. He was a member of the International Society for the Study of Time and had written articles about certain aspects of time and history. He was also associate editor of the Maryland Historical Magazine.

A resident of Washington, Dr. Haber was born in Flint, MI. He graduated from the University of Connecticut and served in the merchant marine during World War II. He received a doctorate in history from The Johns Hopkins University and while studying there was librarian at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore.

He joined the faculty at the University of Maryland in 1966 after having taught at the University of Florida. He retired February 1. Survivors include his wife, Margaret Haber of Washington; and a son from his first marriage, Robert O. Haber of Tallahassee, FL.