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| John and Betty Haire |
A fund to honor the wishes of Betty and John Haire, former Fort Dodge residents, has been established with the Fort Dodge Community Foundation.
The Haire Family owned and operated the Fort Dodge Lumber Company for many years. It was located just west of the former Carnegie Library on 1st Avenue South. The extended family continues to enjoy friendships in Fort Dodge and they return regularly to the area.
Betty Haire, who was born in Canada, moved to Fort Dodge when her father was an executive with the Tobin Meat Packing plant. She graduated from Fort Dodge High School. John Haire was born in Fort Dodge and attended grade school here. Both wished to support various projects in Fort Dodge. Donations from the fund have been given to St. Edmond Schools in support of its technology program, Trinity’s Cancer Center and the Fort Dodge Public Library.
Betty Haire was an avid reader all her life, but had developed macular degeneration in her later years. She was able to support her joy of reading through the audio books that are available at libraries. Mrs. Haire wanted to ensure that others would be able to have that same opportunity. She directed that donations be made to the Fort Dodge Public Library to be used for its audio book collection.
Son John Haire said that he still feels a strong tie to the town in which he was raised; he stays in contact with other former Fort Dodge residents including members of the Egbert, Michelfelder and Echkternact families. Mr. Haire stated that he is impressed with the current growth and expansion of Fort Dodge’s agricultural industries in the past few years and hopes that his family’s fund with the Community Foundation will help the region continue to grow and prosper.
Haire encourages others to utilize the Community Foundation in order to support Fort Dodge. There are many tools that can be used that provide tax advantages to the donor while at the same time supporting very worthy causes in the region.
In the meantime, when you check out an audio book at the Fort Dodge Public Library, remember Betty Haire and the generosity of her family.