Dr. Harry Haines Has Passed Away
Harry Hartman Haines
October 24, 1932 - December 10, 2024
Harry Hartman Haines, professor emeritus of music at WTAMU, passed away on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Memorial services will be at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at the Canyon First Presbyterian Church with Don Stribling officiating. Private inurnment will be in Dreamland Cemetery.
Here is a bit about Harry from the Fall 1997 Music Newsletter, written by Dr. Gary Garner.
HARRY HAINES - TWENTY YEARS
REMEMBERED
The first time I knew of Harry Haines was when I went to Oklahoma City to judge a district contest sometime back in the 60s. I'd heard for some years about the great band program in Norman but still was quite unprepared for the absolutely stunning band I heard from Norman High School. I particularly remember the Overture to Tannhauser. The amazing technique and the maturity of sound was far beyond what one would expect from a high school band.
That evening, I was having dinner with another of the judges, Fred Stockdale, who was then the band director at Pampa High School. Fred was a friend of the Norman High director, Harry Haines, and he invited him to join us. I was delighted to have a chance to meet and visit with the director of the dynamite band I'd beard earlier in the day, and I must have grilled him for an hour or more, trying to find out what their secret was.
Needless to say, I never dreamed at that point that he would one day become our department head and one of my best-ever friends. I must admit to a bit of apprehension when he came to WT, however. After all, he was a highly successful band director. Would he try to micromanage the band program and offer all sorts of unsolicited advice about how I should do my job? Whatever concerns I had quickly evaporated. Harry has been the most supportive department head anyone could hope for.
But he's been much more than that. It seems to me he somehow sees the world differently from the rest of us. He has his own unique way of problem solving that is both innovative and highly effective. His creative thinking and his tenacity have benefitted the department in every imaginable way.
One of his most notable characteristics, in my view, is his absolute refusal to take credit for anything. He'd much rather give it to someone else. That's probably why he also seems constitutionally unable to accept a compliment. He'll find every way he can to deflect it. So, I'm glad to be able to offer this little encomium in writing. Like it or not, Harry, you're gonna have to accept it. And by the way - thanks for 20 great years!