William G. Haddeland

Haddeland, William G. Born on August 13, 1949, in Mahnomen, MN to parents Karl Johan and Gudrun Berghom Haddeland. A much loved husband, father and mentor, Will enjoyed gardening, cooking, carpentry, politics, history, reading and the MN Twins. A graduate of Waubun High School (1967) and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York (1971), Will began his career as one of the first committee administrators for the Minnesota State Senate. He continued to serve Minnesota as Director of the State of Minnesota's Washington Office under Governor Perpich. For over a decade, Will served as Corporate Vice President for Government Relations at Ashland Oil and was Director of their Washington office. He was also deeply committed to public broadcasting and was Minnesota Public Radio's Senior Vice President for Public Affairs from 1998 -2001. Will finished his career as President and CEO of the Independent Bankers of Minnesota from 2003-2007. Devoted to Minnesota and public service, Will held numerous positions on governmental committees and civic organizations. He served on the Board of Trustees of MPR from 1988-1997 and the Board of Trustees for Meridian International, a Washington-based organization that promotes international and intercultural understanding, from 1991-1996. In 2001-2002, he served as Co-Chairman of the Stadiums Task Force, a committee created by the Legislature that developed the blueprint for the financing plans used for the building of Target Field and TCF Stadium. In 2004, Will founded Debate Minnesota, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that sponsors political debates at the state and national level. Debate Minnesota's goal is to create a debate format that encourages a civil, in-depth and policy-rich discussion between the candidates on major issues that are of vital importance to the people of Minnesota. He lost his years-long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy on Sunday, September 23 in the same dignified way in which he lived his life. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. Will is survived by his wife, Connie (née Dabelow); his son, Karl (Kristen); his brothers, Kaare (Kathi) and Peter (Sandy); and his sister, Gerd Kessler; his sister-in-law, Deb (Craig) Carlson; his brother-in-law, Steve (Anita) Dabelow; and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Lila (Denny) Trandem; his brother, Steve (Debbie); and his brother-in-law, Richard Dabelow. Memorial services will be held at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, 5025 Knox Ave. S on Friday. Visitation will begin at 10 am, followed by memorial service at 11 am. Memorials preferred to Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Historical Society or Debate Minnesota.

Tributes

William G. Haddeland

September 23, 2012

Tributes

William G. Haddeland

September 23, 2012

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