Giving Spirit Dean Haug Shares His Story
(Photos courtesy of Maryann Jackson)
Dean Haug is no stranger to caring. He’s a generous supporter of Mercy Foundation North and other nonprofit organizations that help children, senior citizens and homeless people.
Dean’s gifts to Mercy Foundation North have benefited the Mother and Newborn Capital Campaign, Hospice, Cancer Center and Cardiac Care at Mercy Medical Center Redding as well as the Golden Umbrella Program in Redding. “I can go to bed at night and think I played a small part,” he said. “If everybody played a small part in doing the right thing, this wouldn’t be a bad country.” We asked Dean to share what motivated him to become such a generous giving spirit.
Following his Midwest childhood, Dean lived in San Francisco with his aunt and enlisted in the Marine Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was 17. During his service, he was badly injured and eventually given a medical discharge. He studied at the University of Southern California, earning a graduate degree in city management and completing an internship with the city of Pasadena. He went on to have a solid career in top management positions in Mountain View, Livermore and San Mateo County before getting into the hotel business, and later, real estate and development.
During one of his trips related to health advocacy, he stopped in Redding. “I bought a ranch in Shingletown, and I played cowboy,” he said. That was around 40 years ago, and Dean’s passion for the area and people kept him rooted here. Dean noted that it has been a great journey. “Early in life I came to believe that each day was a gift from God that must be used in a very productive manner,” he said. “I try to accept the day for what it is and not for what I want it to be. Because of this, my life has been with purpose, along with a measure of peace and achievement.” Dean has been a vegan – meaning he eats no meat, dairy, or eggs – for 50 years.
He traces his culinary vigilance to his 1930s childhood in the plains of North Dakota. “My family, even when I was a little kid, was conscious of our food,” he said. Diet and exercise have helped Dean ward off sickness for years. He did, however, find himself at Mercy Medical Center Redding after a car accident some 30 years ago. As he recovered in his hospital room, Dean complained about the non-vegan food. He asked a friend to bring him food from home, which was against hospital regulations. When the doctor learned of Dean’s vegan dietary needs, he alerted Mercy’s head dietician, who came to visit Dean. “He was a super, super guy,” Dean said. “He came in and said he was sorry that their (non-vegan) food wasn’t acceptable for my diet. He said, ‘Tell us what you want and I’ll get it for you.’” And he did. Every day the dietician would stop by to make sure Dean was satisfied. “It seemed to me that if a hospital of this size had the time to provide such personalized care, it had to be a pretty good hospital,” Dean said. “As a result of that, I became attached. I thought Mercy was a great, great place.”
On any given day, you’re likely to find Dean Haug walking along the hills of Platina or along the river trail in Anderson. He logs more than five miles on his morning and afternoon jaunts before devouring a tomato and avocado sandwich and driving back to Redding. Dean loves to walk. He also loves the encounters he has on his route. It’s not unusual for passersby to stop along the road to see if he needs help. That’s because Dean is not your average walker. He’ll turn 85 in October. “I love it -- not only do I get a boost from the walk, I get a boost from knowing that people care,” he said, smiling.
