The outpouring of sympathy has been overwhelming.
Thank you to everyone. -HG and family
On January 16, 2020 my Father, Harry G. Haskell Jr.,
passed away at 98 years old.
It is because of him that I am able to continue to grow
my vegetables and my spirituality on this farm.
Harry G. Haskell Jr. (Hal), former Mayor of Wilmington, Del., died on
January 16, 2020, at the age of 98. Enjoying one last holiday visit from
his big, loud, loving family helped him finally let go. Hal and his
wife Mimi had eight children, 19 grandchildren, and 11
great-grandchildren. They were married for 61 years. She, like Hal, was
generous in her private and public life. Together they were energetic,
mischievous, and shared a great sense of humor. After Mimi died in 2008,
he reconnected with an amazing childhood friend, Ruth du Pont Lord.
They were devoted partners until Ruth died in 2014.
Hal attended Tower Hill School, St. Mark's School in Mass., and Princeton University,
which he left in 1942 to enlist in the US Coast Guard where he spent
time in the Atlantic doing off-shore anti-submarine patrol and then in
the Pacific on an LST until the end of the war.
Hal began his
business career as president of Greenhill Dairies in 1948 and later was
president and chairman of the board at Abercrombie and Fitch, a company
that reflected his sportsmanship and love of the outdoors. Surpassing
even his interest in business were his commitments to public service and
philanthropy. Hal's political career began with the support of his
friend and colleague, Nelson Rockefeller, and involved work in the
Department of Housing, Education, and Welfare under President
Eisenhower. During his one term as Delaware's only member of the US
House of Representatives ('57-'59), Hal was proudest of building
bipartisan backing for student loan and air traffic control legislation.
When Hal was Mayor of Wilmington he was most admired for his
efforts to ease racial tension in the city following the riots that had
been sparked by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hal,
along with Governor Russ Peterson, ended the National Guard's
occupation, which had been one of the longest in American history. He
valued honesty in politicians and a willingness to compromise, and he
often praised the people of Delaware for electing reasonable leaders
from both parties.
Just as important to Hal was his advocacy for
environmental stewardship and increased access to quality education. He
was a founding member of Chadds Ford's Brandywine River Museum and
Conservancy and served on the board for more than 50 years. In 1969, Hal
and two friends started Dynamy, a program in Worcester, Mass. designed
to empower young people to discover their purpose. He took aspects of
this program and, with the help of local leaders, founded Delaware
Futures to mentor and support at-risk students for college. In the last
two years of his life, the cause he pursued most passionately was bold
investment, both public and private, in early childhood education.
