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Tribute to Albert Haslebacher 1931-2015

by Joe Polk, Division I Director

Sometimes in the course of our human lives we meet someone who just has
‘something’ that draws us in. In some cases it’s between two people that become
an influence for generations, like Burns and Allen (comedy duo) or FDR and Eleanor
Roosevelt (political powerhouses) or it can be between coaches, mentors and their
players, like Nadia Comaneci and Bela Karolyi (Olympic dynamos). I was fortunate
enough to meet such a person in my life. In December, I joined the Redmond Area
Toastmasters Club and there he was. He was 83, active, working, contributing and
had forgotten more about Toastmasters than I even know. In a very short time, I met
a man who embodied the spirit of what I was seeking—leadership, communication
and presentation. His name was Albert Haselbacher…Al to his friends. He was pretty
cool. Here are a few tidbits;

• He grew up in a farming family and they called him ‘Babe’.
• He never left that Agriculture world and parlayed that into his

business life (multiple businesses)
• He helped start Farm Credit Bureaus, represented farmers as

their ‘agent’

• He represented the Ag world throughout the State of Oregon.
• He received an appointment by the Governor and Ag Credit Board to represent

Oregon in Washington D.C.! (and that is just a little bit)

Somewhere along the way (1967ish), Al realized that speaking concisely, cogently
and coherently were crucial to the success of his life and he joined Toastmasters
International. He was a founding member of clubs in Washington, member of clubs
in Oregon, and even a member of a club in Washington D.C. when he was appointed
there.

On July 15, 2015 at approximately 11pm, Al was involved in a 3-car accident in Bend,
Oregon. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Al was not married and is
survived by his nephew and friends. He will be sorely missed. Our community lost
an incredibly impressive man. He was a wealth of knowledge, a quick volunteer
and a caring person. Our club lost a leader, a communicator and colleague. I lost a
mentor and friend. He truly lived our High Desert motto,‘Pay it Forward’.

Al—for your example of class and life in action, I say, “Thank you Mr. Toastmaster.”

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