| Herbert V. Hake | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 10, 1903 Hoyleton, Illinois |
| Died | March 10, 1980 |
| Occupation | Cartoonist |
| Nationality | American |
Herb Hake (1903–1980) was an American author, cartoonist, radio, and television personality; associated with the University of Northern Iowa. He was awarded several honorary doctoral degrees.
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Herbert V. Hake, son of Henry and Louisa Hake, was born August 10, 1903, in Hoyleton, Illinois. His father was a painting contractor and a school board member who had some drawing skills. He nurtured Herb's strong interest in art. In the late 1920s, Herb studied at Central Wesleyan College in Missouri. He worked at various occupations including layout work for World Color Printing in St. Louis, and writing movie reviews for the St. Louis Times.
After a year in St. Louis, he returned to his home county and took a teaching certification examination and taught in a rural school for a year. He then did graduate work at the Northwestern University in Illinois and joined the faculty at Central Wesleyan until it closed. He then went to graduate school at the University of Missouri and later Iowa State Teachers College, in Cedar Falls, Iowa where he earned his master's degree in scenic design in 1933. The summer of 1936, he landed a job there in the theater department. From 1938 to 1942 he served as technical director, scenic designer and instructor of speech courses. He and one other teacher ran the drama department.
In 1942, education was cut short for military service; enrolment in college fell drastically. The drama department was cut back by one, and Hake was asked to take over the radio business at the college or lose his job altogether. With very little experience or equipment, and a technical manual in hand, he started his new career. By the late 1950s he was learning television. During Hake's 30 years at the school, now the University of Northern Iowa, the radio and television facilities grew to include an FM radio station, a student-operated campus radio station, open and closed-circuit television programs and thousands of dollars worth of equipment. He retired in 1972 and was inducted into the Iowa Broadcasters Hall of Fame. And in his honour, the call letters of one of the university's radio stations was changed to KHKE.
Hake directed and hosted several radio and TV programs, Story Hour, Landmarks in Iowa History and History with Herb Hake. He was a 'chalk talker', telling the story while drawing on the chalk board. He wrote articles and books on stagecraft, and authored the Cartoon History of Iowa (1969); Bicentennial Outlines of Cedar Falls,a coloring book; and 101 Stories of Cedar Falls, which is a collection of his Pioneers, Prophets and Professors column which appeared in the Record, the Cedar Falls newspaper, in the early 1970s. Profits from this book aided the Cedar Falls Historical Society in its drive to turn the old ice house into a museum. Hake was president of the society from 1972 to 1974 and served on its board as well as that of the State Historical Society of Iowa.
In retirement Hake interviewed long-time residents of Cedar Falls, and recorded their thoughts on tape, to be kept for reference at the society. He used print, chalk, electronic journalism and personal appearances to effectively educate the public to appreciate its heritage and his contributions to the Cedar Falls Historical Society remain to be treasured.
Herbert V. Hake married his wife Monabell on June 4, 1930, in Fayette, Missouri. They had two daughters, Priscilla and Patricia. He died March 10, 1980, 1980, at the age of 76, of cancer.