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Hal Flanders 1915 - 2001
Tributes
© Brian Cassell 2001 Richard Simpson
Hal Flanders was a good man. An exemplary man. Wisdom, humility, compassion, humor.... Hal's substance, rather than his plumage. Nature's joyous observer and co-conspirator, Now transformed by Nature, yet still part of it, So, still part of us all. Some may remember Hal as the past, But Nature remembers him as the future. Justice is served that way. Hal was a good man, And the Earth is a better place because of him.
George Floro
Celebrating the life of Hal Flanders
Hal Flanders brought life into sharp focus. He saw himself, and all of us, as well as the other creatures, placed within the world of nature. That is where we were, and Hal had confidence in nature. The burden of observation was to understand what was happening. Of course he could identify birds, but naming them was never the most important thing. They were always someplace in the processes of nature. For Hal, this represented a shared experience with many other people. He had helped in production of films of life in the Big Bend area. Ed White was one of his special compadres.He was a disciplined observer. Visitors to the national park, whom he guided on tours, recognized this talent. In letters written to him afterwards, he was sometimes addressed as Dr. Flanders. He learned from that work and had stories to share about discoveries of life made by vacationing tourists. While taking a group on a tour he would carry a magnifying glass designed for fieldwork for a closer look at leaves, spiders, etc.
Knowledge and skill were generated in the several pursuits that captured his imagination, from his observation of birds to his marksmanship in firing a rifle at targets (something that was part of his past). These traits were exhibited in his workshop as a craftsman. He built a buggy for Big Bend People & Goats, using oak and building it on a metal frame that had been rescued from a pile of ashes. He was one of the first to receive an Honorary Associate award from the goat raisers. He was very generous and those of us who understood that generous nature made sure that he received some monetary payment for work done for us in his well-equipped shop.
What everyone knows is that Hal created a legacy in Alpine and beyond by creating a recycling program with all the skill and thoroughness that characterized the rest of his life. But he also did these other things and much more. He helped with the Food Co-op, served as a source of information about classical music, and took seriously the care of the family dog. And he was kind to people. You could count on him being on your side even when he did not talk much about it.
George Floro
This is my second statement written to celebrate the life of Hal Flanders. The first one attempts to respect him for who he was and for his remarkable accomplishments. This brief second statement admits to grieving and for this one needs help - an arm around the shoulders or some guidance. For help I turn to a Unitarian who lives in Bloomer, Wisconsin. Hal did not know him although Hal too was Unitarian in his religious preference. The man's name is George Witt and Bloomer is about twenty miles north of Eau Claire, the last large city going north. Bloomer is very cold in the winter; from the standpoint of weather it is no place to go to celebrate the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. Nonetheless Martha and I did just that for several years to celebrate with the Witts and some other close friends.George Witt is now in his eighties and he knows he is not going to live forever. He may not be as well liked as he once was when for many years he and his family operated a greenhouse business in the city. After that he served as a property assessor for the city - not a very popular job. When one of his elderly friends dies nowadays, he says that that person has graduated! George knows that he too is going to graduate.
Friend Hal Flanders has graduated and his many honors have been memorialized. There was enough goodness in the man to bless all who knew him.
Hal Flanders has graduated and we are all blessed. We will remember him as long as we live - until those days when we too graduate.
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