AMES, Iowa—Richard Edwin Hasbrook was born August 4, 1934 on a farm near Estherville, Iowa, the son of Louise Muncy and Lester Edwin Hasbrook. He attended a county school and then attended Estherville High School where he graduated. He was a member of the FFA band and played in the State FFA Band as a senior. He attended Estherville Junior College and then went on to attend University of Iowa where he graduated with a Master’s degree at age 19. He enlisted in the Army where he served as a Chaplin’s Assistant at Fort Ord, California for 2 years.
He started his 45 year career at Iowa State University – first in the Chemistry/Chem Stores area and then moved on to a long career as the Director of Research Administration. In his role as the Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration, he provided overall leadership for sponsored programs administration and negotiated contracts and grants. This position provided him the opportunity to travel to countries in South America, Africa, Thailand, and the Philippines.
It was while working in the Chemistry Department that he met his future wife, Carolyn Brooks. Dick and Carolyn were married August 24, 1963 at the First United Methodist Church in Ames where he sang in the choir. They lived in Ames for a short time, and when the first Arabian horses arrived, they moved to their acreage, then back to Carolyn’s home place. There they raised their sons Michael and Daniel, Arabian horses and a few cows. Dick’s line of Arabians is known for the mare Ragala and the Skowronek *Mirage lineage.
His passion was collecting Hull vases, Hofbauer crystal, AND Arabian horses. His avid passion was studying pedigrees and research bloodlines. As part of his passion for Arabian horses, it also involved collecting many research books, traveling to breeding farms across the county, working on and attending shows and being involved in organizations. He served as Director of the Region 11 National organization and attended many National conventions across the country. He also wrote a few articles for National magazines and was a member of Arabian Horse Historian Association.
Family history was also important to Dick and he was very proud to be able to trace the “Hasbrook” lineage from 1650 through 12 generations to his grandson’s Colin and Ryan. He has pictures and information about some of the past generations.
Dick retired from Iowa State University in 2000 and to help enjoy retirement, he started spending parts of the winters in Thailand and later in the Philippines.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers Bob and Don. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, sons Daniel, Michael and his wife Valerie and grandsons Colin and Ryan, sister-in-law, Anita Wikstrom, her son David, and his children Steven James Wikstrom and Krystal Literman. and cousin Corrine Brown of Story City and many cousins and friends.
Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 27, 2024, at Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home in Boone. Visitation will be before the service from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home. Interment will be at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone following the funeral service.
Memorials are suggested to the Mary Greeley Hospice Care.
Richard Hasbrook, 90, Ames, Iowa
