DR. LEONARD C. HAAS, age 83, of 550 Graham Ave, died Saturday, March 14, 1998 at the M.B. Syverson Lutheran Home. A native of Eau Claire, he was born February 17, 1915 at Luther Hospital to Lee and Laura (Brown) Haas, and grew up in Altoona. Leonard married Dorellen M. Lambert on May 31, 1941 in Wausau. He served the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for 44 years, 21 years as chancellor.\r\nLeonard earned a bachelor's degree in education from Eau Claire State College in 1935. In 1938, he earned a master's degree in history from UW-Madison. He completed a Ph.D. in higher education at the University of Minnesota in 1954. He was awarded the honorary LL.D. by St. Olaf College in 1968. \r\nFrom 1959-1971 Leonard served as President of UW-Eau Claire. In 1971, he left UW-Eau Claire for two years to serve as Executive Vice President of the UW System playing a major role in the merger of state colleges and universities into one system. He was chancellor at UW-EC from 1973-1980, and Professor of History and Academic Advisor from 1981 until his retirement in 1985. \r\n It was Leonard who chose the word "Excellence" as the unofficial motto for the university, which was later adopted as the logo by a resolution of the faculty in 1966. In 1980, the Leonard and Dorellen Haas Endowment Fund was established through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation to promote International Education through exchange programs. In 1986, the UW-EC fine Arts Center was dedicated to him and his wife Dorellen. \r\nLeonard was very active in the Eau Claire community. He served as president of the Eau Claire City Council, was a past president and active member of The Kiwanis Club of Eau Claire for more than 50 years, and was a board member of numerous civic and health organizations. As a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Leonard served as the superintendent of the Sunday School from 1944-55 and on the Grace Lutheran Foundation Board for several terms between 1960 and 1984.\r\nSurvivors include his wife, Dorellen; two daughters, Karen Alexander (James) of Eau Claire and Kristine Eastwold (Conrad) of Rice Lake; seven grandchildren, Maria Hahn (John) of Milwaukee, Jonathan Alexander (Angela) of Freeport,IL, Lisa Rehwaldt-Alexander (Jeremy) of Nashville,TN, Michael Eastwold of Whitehall,MI, David Eastwold of Eau Claire; Katie and Naomi Eastwold both of Rice Lake. He was preceded in death by his parents.\r\nFuneral Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church with Pastor Rolf Nestingen officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, at Lenmark-Gomsrud Funeral Home and 9 a.m. until time of services Thursday at the church.\r\nHis family requests that memorials please be directed to the UW-EC Foundation for the Leonard and Dorellen Haas Endowment Fund or the Grace Lutheran Foundation. \r\n

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