Former Hillsdale College trustee Hazel Hare died March 22.
External Affairs | Courtesy
The last words Hazel Hare spoke to me were, “Carry on the torch, kiddo.”
I never met Hazel Hare, but I spoke with her on the phone once. During a 20-minute phone interview regarding her resignation from the Board of Trustees and her diagnosis with ALS, I caught not only a glimpse of her long history with the college but also her love for Hillsdale’s mission.
Hare served on the Board of Trustees for over three decades and was chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. Many of the facilities that students love and use today are a direct result of her efforts such as the Grewcock Student Union. According to President Larry Arnn, it was a labor of love.
“She adored that work,” Arnn said in an email. “She adored meeting students and faculty and deans. She loved to report to the board about what she had heard. She wished the good of the college with all her heart, especially the central aspect that has to do with teaching and student life.”
When I was on the phone with Hare, she talked about each accomplishment candidly, almost nonchalant. During Hazel Hare’s time with the board of trustees she had built campus buildings, created new student programs, and donated thousands of dollars that enriched the lives of students. And she was humble about it all.
During our conversation, Hare said what she would miss the most was simple. It was the people — the students and her fellow board members.
“I’m going to miss all the friends I’ve made over the years,” Hare said. “The board was a whole new friendship group. We were all united in one common goal, growing and maintaining the mission of the college.”
That was the torch to which Hazel Hare was referring: the mission of Hillsdale College. Hare may no longer be with us, but her legacy is forever around us. It is in the pleasant meals students share in the Knorr Dining Room, it is in the relaxing conversations classmates have in A.J.’s Café, and it is in the beautiful works that audiences enjoy in the Howard Music Hall.
Her legacy is now our legacy: to carry on the torch and to glorify the mission of Hillsdale College.
Hazel Hare, a former member of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees, died March 22 in Arizona after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Hare became a member of the college’s Board of Trustees in 1986 and served as a member for over three decades. After being diagnosed with a severe case of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, she resigned from the board Feb. 16.
“After being diagnosed with an advanced case of ALS, Hazel was unanimously voted the status of emeriti trustee,” Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé said in an official statement. “She was always loyal to the cause of liberty and learning and was a delightful person filled with hope, wisdom, and humility.”
Hare’s main role on the board was the chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. In this capacity, she advocated and fundraised for campus additions that would improve student life, such as the Grewcock Student Union and the Howard Music Hall.
“She always had a kind word for everyone,” board member Cleves Delp ’86 said. “She had an infectious smile and laugh. She was so positive in meetings; she would go out of her way to verbalize the positive aspects of how a decision would impact the students.”
At Hare’s request, there was no funeral service.
“We grieve the loss of our dear, sweet friend and offer our prayers and deepest condolences to her family,” Péwé said.
Condolences can be sent to Hare’s niece, Tracey Kane, at 25 Parkview Ave., Bronxville, New York 10708.