Greg Haegele: In Memoriam
Continued
In that same interview, he attributed his love of the environment to many
childhood summers spent with his grandparents in a small cabin on an island
in British Columbia. There was no TV or radio and the days were spent "enjoying
nature's beauty and bounty," as his grandfather would say.
Greg was a dedicated, driven activist whose good work was aimed at ensuring
that "nature's beauty and bounty" would be there for future generations
to enjoy.
When you talk about Greg with long-time friends and colleagues, the conversations
include stories of trials and triumphs shared with a deep respect –
and humor.
Greg was best friends with Cathy Duvall, the Club's political director,
in high school on Mercer Island, Washington. They passed notes and giggled,
and suffered through drama class together.
"Neither of us liked public speaking or acting," she said, "so
we were stage managers. Greg didn't use a spreadsheet for that stuff back
then, but he was already super organized.
Over the years, passing notes morphed into texting, and Cathy marvels that,
while on separate paths, they developed the same language. "In high
school we'd speak Double Dutch so we could make fun of everyone else."
Years later, she said, their words and language reflected their mutual devotion
to politics and the environment.
Cathy
laughed as she shared stories about another of Greg's devotions -- to his
basset hound, Lucy, who died several years back. (That's Lucy to the left.)
"Lucy was so low to the ground that when he took her hiking she got
caught on stuff all the time, so he ended up carrying her most of the way."
When Lucy couldn't walk up the steps to the house, Greg built a ramp to
help her out. There's still a framed picture of Lucy on Greg's mantel.
Cathy spent some of the day with Greg before he passed away in his San
Francisco home, surrounded by family.
Another close friend and colleague was Paul Shively, the Club's regional
representative based in Montana. He and Greg knew each other for 20 years
and were roommates in Montana for four of them.
"We were the straight white guys at the Montana Human Rights Network,"
a Helena-based organization that fights gay and racial discrimination. Greg
served as its interim director in 2000 and 2003. "We both loved working
there."
Paul says that when they were roommates, he was the Oscar to Greg's Felix
-- Paul being the guy with the pile of dirty (and clean) clothes on the
floor next to the futon, Greg being the one with a tidy room and nicer furniture.
"It worked because we knew each really well, and there was a kindness
between us that you don't find in a lot of friends."
"At the time, Greg was working on political campaigns and I was chair
of the Democratic Party in Montana. I learned from his pragmatism, and he
appreciated my recklessness in public. I was more of a shipwreck waiting
to happen, and he was a smooth sailor who could convey difficult information
in a way that didn't offend people."
Paul says two of the qualities that both friends and colleagues cherished
about Greg were his sincerity and loyalty.
"Greg was just so genuine. People who didn't know him very well could
see that in him instantly, and it made them trust him and become believers
when he talked about the challenges ahead of us and how we can
meet them. It was amazing how much trust colleagues who didn't know him
well had in him. They just knew he was being truthful."
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