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Harry G. Haile

1931 - 2022

Harry G. Haile obituary, 1931-2022, Champaign, IL

Harry Haile Obituary

CHAMPAIGN - Harry Gerald Haile, born July 31, 1931, died Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. He will be terribly missed by his family.

Harry was preceded in death by the gracious Mary Elizabeth Haile; his parents, Frank and Nell Haile; beloved sister, Beth Duggan; and devoted daughter-in-law, Jane Haile.

He is survived by his children, Jonathan Haile, Christian Haile (Mindy) and Constance Hunsaker (Richard); grandchildren, Tom Haile, Katherine Haile, Hannah Grice, Abraham Haile, Alexandria Haile, Samuel Haile, Ruth Haile, Nicholas Hunsaker and Caroline Hunsaker; as well as five great-granddaughters and two great-grandsons.

Harry considered himself a child of the Dust Bowl and would say he was born at the best possible time and in the best possible place. He longed to return to the genteel world in which he was formed and be among his pine trees and hardwoods.

Harry's remains will be placed alongside his parents and sister in that very place.

Harry attended the University of Arkansas, where he met his mentor, J. Wesley Thomas, a man he described as having the most beautiful baritone voice imaginable. Professor Thomas urged Harry to teach German, which he found he was "pretty good at." Harry became a Fulbright Scholar and studied at the University of Cologne, Germany. After receiving his doctorate at the University of Illinois, Harry went on to teach at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Houston.

Harry returned to the University of Illinois, where he assumed the position of head of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. As Department head, Harry prided himself on bringing the finest new talent to the university to teach and conduct research, thereby expanding the Department's reputation and prestige. Harry also succeeded in fostering teaching, research and collegiality within the department. He established an exchange program in Baden bei Wien, Austria, which continues to this day as the Austria-Illinois Exchange Program. Harry served as visiting professor at the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia. He was inducted into the University of Illinois Center for Advanced Study.

The most widely held works of Harry were published in multiple editions. In his Faustbuch nach der Wolfenbütteler Handschrift, he transcribed the original, early New High German Faust manuscript and edited it, making it accessible for future generations of scholars and students alike. His article "Luther and Literacy" was especially significant for the modern understanding of the Reformation and social change. His other writings include biographies of some of the most important figures of German culture, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Martin Luther. His range went beyond older German studies to include Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann. Harry considered himself an historian and genealogist. Upon his retirement from the university, he wrote what he considered his most important work, Letters from the Dust Bowl. It contains not only an "imagined" correspondence between the ancient figures in classical history, but also the story of the westward migration of a typical American family, namely his own.

He was an avid lecturer, and his children sometimes had occasion to accompany him when he spoke. He loved to start a lecture with an off-color joke about which he would later prod his children as to how well it was received. On one such occasion, his son responded, "which time?" Not only had he begun the lecture with the joke, but he had finished with it as well. One of his happiest moments occurred while lecturing on Martin Luther in a small church in Jena, Germany, where the crowd joined him in song at the end of his talk. His daughter was there to witness his exuberance.

Harry was well informed and fascinated in a great variety of subject matters. His love of discussion meant that he could find common ground and converse easily with all he met. He was a devoted father and father-in-law, never missing a performance of his daughter and attending the jury trials of those attorneys in his family. Afterward, he was eager and ready to discuss in great detail the nuances of the occasion. His was a quality rarely encountered and exceedingly valuable. He had immense love for his grandchildren and encouraged them in their growth and endeavors with great enthusiasm and interest. One of the most valuable lessons he imparted to his family was, "you can teach yourself just about anything, but it might take you a little bit of time." Early in the time of personal computers, Harry wrote his own computer programs. During the last decades of his life, he taught himself Greek reading the Loeb classics and impressing their contents upon his grandchildren.

His interests were broad and varied. On weekends, he might be found hunting for morels, or swimming, diving or running laps at the university gym. He enjoyed a good game of chess with some scotch after preparing a meal of homemade enchiladas, Woody Guthrie howling in the background. He was a great lover of the outdoors and the woods. Annual wilderness trips to Canada and the Boundary Waters were taken with his family. He was an avid bicyclist engaging in century rides and on one occasion riding from Illinois to Texas.

He had a rich life filled with stories the family will share for years to come. They will miss his telling of those old stories - he, with his rubber face and engaging voice.

The family will have a private memorial service. Memorial gifts may be made to the University of Illinois Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, krannertcenter.com/#giving.

Published by The News-Gazette on Dec. 31, 2022.
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To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Memories and Condolences
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2 Entries

Prof. Haile was a great personality who had a powerful impact on so many UIUC students of German. He was one of a kind!!!

Christopher Koy

February 28, 2023

I enjoyed Harrys company. very interesting man sorry for your loss

phillip trautman

Friend

December 31, 2022

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