March 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 18

W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

Remembering Harry 'Hal' G. Haskell Jr.
Dedicated park and recreation professional passes away on January 16, 2020, at age of 98
By Lindsay Collins

believe that recreation and saving the environment have everything to do with people's leisure time and make an enormous
difference. " These words from Harry " Hal " G. Haskell Jr.
(tinyurl.com/sjxg4nk), illustrate his passion for and commitment
to the field of parks and recreation. A former U.S. Congressman and mayor
of Wilmington, Delaware, Haskell also served more than 20 years on the
NRPA Board of Trustees, including as board chair from 1980 to 1985, and
was inducted as an NRPA life trustee in 1993. These career achievements
are among the numerous contributions Haskell has made throughout his
life to his community and his country.
From 1952 to 1984, Haskell was
selected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention every four
years, excluding 1957 to 1959, during
which he served as Delaware's sole
Congressman. During the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Haskell
served in the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, leading the
agency's Interdepartmental Council
and working with the heads of Public
Health Services, Social Security, Education and the Food and Drug Administration to address issues, such
as creating vocational rehabilitation
programs and revising Social Security. During his tenure as Congressman, Haskell's notable achievements

include the enactment of the United
States' student loan program, the enactment of the National Defense Education Act and the establishment of
an air traffic control system.
In 1968, he was elected mayor
of Wilmington as a Republican
in a predominately Democratcontrolled city during a period of distress following the assassination of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. " It was
right after the race riots in the '60s,
and he was very instrumental in removing the National Guard from the
city after the riots took place, " says
Joseph O'Neill, former NRPA board
member and colleague of Haskell.
" He made a special effort with the
parks and recreation department and
the recreation programs in the city
to help bring some reconciliation to
the people. Also, the city didn't have
much money at that time, so he led
an effort for the historical city parks
to be merged to the county parks. The
county was better funded at the time
and better able to take care of these
Haskell, pictured center top row, was
the impetus behind the the Life. Be in
it! program in the United States. Photo
from February 1980 issue of Parks &
Recreation magazine.

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wonderful parks. " He proceeded to
serve one term from 1969 to 1972
and was the last Republican to be
elected mayor of Wilmington to date.
Other notable achievements of
Haskell's life and career include the
founding of an Episcopal youth
camp in Delaware; consultant to
Nelson Rockefeller, President Eisenhower's special assistant for Foreign
Affairs; leadership of efforts to protect Brandywine Creek from environmental abuse and degradation;
establishment of the Delaware Futures program to help at-risk youth
develop skills to expand opportunities and achieve a college education;
the creation of Action Task Forces in
Wilmington neighborhoods to learn
from citizens about the types of city
programs and services they wanted;
the founding of Dynamy, a nonprofit experiential educational organization to support young people to
discover their life purpose through
Outward Bound and internships;
implementation of the Life. Be in it!
program in the United States; recipient of honorary degrees from Fisk
University and Hobart College.
Haskell once stated that " involvement in recreation and leisure are
essential to personal, mental and
physical health, yielding a full and rewarding life. " Throughout his life and
career, he was dedicated to this belief
and demonstrated such through his
many contributions to the field of
parks and recreation and beyond.
Lindsay Collins is the Associate Editor for
Parks & Recreation magazine
(lcollins@nrpa.org).

March 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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