February 20, 2006
Harold LeRoy “Hal” Mansfield was born on July 28, 1931 in Fort Collins, Colorado, the ninth of ten children born to John Martin Mansfield and Addie May McClure Mansfield. The depression put the family into dire financial straights. Years of struggle and of poverty followed as the entire nation, and most of the world, slumped into the Great Depression. Since Hal’s father had only those skills that were at the bottom of the “economic ladder,” and since he had a very large family to support, the wonder is that the father and mother did so well in keeping the family together and in making it through the depression and beyond.
Two factors stood out in Hal’s mind: One, his mother and father were honest people. They made a sincere effort to meet their obligations, to buy groceries, to pay the rent, and to otherwise "play square." Two, the father was a hard-working man. And, within the range of jobs he held, he was skillful. He could stack hay, dig ditches, and cut timber, with dedication and enthusiasm. He was a good "hand," as the saying goes. He worked tirelessly to find a "new" job, when one job ended. Hal’s parents and siblings were very special to him.
Other very positive aspects of Hal’s life, in addition to his parents, brothers and sisters and the other family members, were the friends he had while growing up, including Floyd Norton, Stanley Woodyard, Jimmy Frank, Wally Winter, Harley Allbrandt and Dale Van Sickle. Another great positive was the Fort Collins school system. The friends supplied good modeling. The school system supplied an excellent education. Mrs. McAnelly, Hal’s fifth grade teacher, was his good friend from the time Hal was five year old until she died in 1982 at the age of 104. His teachers were: Miss Sherman, in first grade; Miss Knott, in second grade; Miss Wilkins, in third grade, Miss Ford in fourth grade; Mrs. McAnelly, in fifth grade and Miss Hanson, in sixth grade, until February, all at Laurel School; then, Miss Stevens, in last part of sixth grade, at Franklin School. Hal learned to enjoy reading at an early age. In junior high those teachers that influenced him the most were Miss Shepardson, Miss Whitter, Miss Dryden and Mr. Emery. In high school it was Miss Bahr, Coach Ohlander, and Mr. Compton.
Growing up in Fort Collins:
Fort Collins, in many important ways, was an ideal place in which to grow up, even in the great depression of the 1930s. Although poor, the Mansfield family and Hal’s friends had a rich array of simple games, games that all played with enthusiasm and creativity. These seemingly innocent games provided experience for later life that would prove valuable. The Fort Collins library became one of Hal’s favorite places to spend time. Mrs. Stoner, at the library, was both helpful and an inspiration.
Also, since Hal started working early – second grade, actually – and since he had a variety of jobs from then through high school, many opportunities to learn were present. First, he sold magazines door-to-door; later, he sold the Denver Post on Fort Collins street corners on Saturday nights. Finally, for many years, Hal worked at Fox Intermountain Theaters, which then had three movie houses in Fort Collins. He started as a marquee boy and, soon, worked up to doorman.
Working at Fox Intermountain Theaters allowed Hal to see innumerable movies, newsreels, and educational short-subject pieces, all of which augmented his formal education in the Fort Collins schools and the education he got from his reading. At the theaters, Hal worked with boyhood friends, Floyd Norton and Jimmy Frank, and friends Maynard Dedrick, Pete Feldman and Ed Marvel and a never-ending host of attractive and personable young women, most of whom were also high school classmates.
During the summers, from seventh grade on, Hal worked, at various times, for all three of his brothers-in-law. He worked at a farmer’s elevator for Robert Montgomery. There he helped haul flour, feed, hay, coal and other products. For Donald Chance, he did farm work including picking cherries and apples. For the third brother-in-law, Ervine Stewart, Hal worked four summers on a hay baler. First, he tied bales; then he blocked bales; finally, for two years, he bucked the bales. He was able, by the third year, to buck 1,200 eighty-pound bales on a moving sled in a long, day’s work. Then, in the evening, many times, he worked at Al’s & Bud’s Newsstand in Fort Collins. Bud Pickens became a friend and mentor, as well as a part time employer.
After high school, Hal worked for two years, part of the time on a hay baler, part of the time for Fox Theaters, and part of the time for Charles and Iva Wilson of Berthoud. The Wilsons had a large farm and dairy operation. Hal worked mostly in the dairy. Charles and Iva Wilson and their three sons, Cleon, Compton and Charles, Jr. became Hal’s "second family," and Hal and the Wilson family have remained close throughout the years. Charles died in 2000 at age 92.
Military service, college and beyond:
About the time the Korean military draft was going to call his name, Hal enlisted, feeling that he could get a better deal that way. That was in January of 1951. He served in the Army for three years. And, although Hal went overseas on two different tours of duty, he was fortunate to serve in Japan, instead of Korea.
The military service provided Hal with the G. I. Bill. After he got out of the service, he worked a few months on the Wilson farm, while waiting for the fall term at Colorado A&M College in Fort Collins. Hal started in the fall of 1954. He majored in psychology. A & M became Colorado State University in 1957, before Hal graduated. Professors at CSU who especially inspired and impacted him included: John Olive in biology; Tyler Woolley in biology; Mike Smiland in economics; Aurelia Brooks Harlan in English; Margaret Stimmel in microbiology; and Richard Peairs in psychology. Fellow student, Frank Vattano was also an inspiration for his dedication to learning and his perspicacity.
In addition to college, Hal served in the Army reserves and worked part-time, first at Alpert & Sons clothing store and then at Ghent Motor Company, to augment the G. I. Bill. At Ghent Motors, Hal worked in the office for a while; then, he sold new and used cars the rest of the time. Frank Ghent, the dealership owner, became a friend and a business and political mentor, as did his son, Dwight, the sales manager, and salesmen, Leo Cathey and office managers, Sam Barry and Ted Nieters.
Hal was very fortunate to work for some very fine people through the years, people who shared their many, many years of experience with him. By learning from them, he was able to avoid some of the more time-consuming and costly trial-by-error experiences. It seemed to Hal that in family, friends, and the people he worked for and with, he was most fortunate, indeed.
Marriage, a daughter, work and more education:
While in college, Hal met and married Lorita M. “Rita” Young, of Maryville, Missouri. She had moved to Fort Collins, after graduating from college, and was working for a loan company. Hal met her while he was working part-time at Alpert’s clothing store. Hal and Rita dated some, fell in love, and married in May 1956.
The next year, their daughter, Maura Ann, was born. She was a very tiny baby, since she was several weeks premature. However, she was a healthy baby, ate heartily, and was soon sleeping through the night, which was a very good thing, since Hal was still in college and was also working. Both Hal and Rita needed the undisturbed sleep.
Hal was able to go to college, largely because of the G.I. Bill, because he lived at the family home until his marriage, because of his part time jobs and because Rita worked most of the time. After graduation from CSU, Hal worked for five years at three different jobs: Forney Acceptance Corporation, in Fort Collins, as a credit supervisor, where he supervised a staff of seven field auditors, three office men and twenty-one office women clerical workers; the Arizona Employment Service in Phoenix; and the City and County of Denver, as a member of the Research and Management Office.
In 1963, Hal applied for and received a National Defense Education Act scholarship to the University of Denver. The scholarship was in the graduate program in psychology. Professor Wilbur Miller awarded the fellowship to Hal. In 1967, Hal was awarded a master’s degree. Hal then taught for five years at Regis College (now a university) in Denver, and concomitantly served two years as the Acting Chairman of the Psychology Department and one year as Director of the Social Science Division at Regis.
Since progress towards the Ph.D., at the University of Denver, was so slow, Hal resigned his teaching appointment at Regis and returned full-time to the university to finish the Ph.D. work. Hal completed all of the Ph.D. requirements in 1974. Key people at the university included Ken Little, the department chair; Professors Jay Trowell, who directed Hal’s dissertation; Bernard Spilka, who helped Hal in many ways and who became a life-long friend; Joseph Ulehla; Will Miller; Alfred Shacklee; and John Horn, several of whom helped Hal remain in the program during various difficult periods.
Durango and Fort Lewis College for 31 years:
Almost immediately on being vested with the Ph.D., Hal applied for a vacancy and was hired in the psychology department at Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colorado. Since Hal and his wife had bought land near Durango in 1972, being hired by Fort Lewis seemed almost miraculous.
Colleagues who became friends at Fort Lewis include: especially, Preston Somers and his wife, Judy; Michael Anziano and his wife Cathy Curran; Alane Brown; Beverly Chew; Joe Colgan and his wife, Mary; Larry Corman; Betty Dorr and her husband Tom; Maynard Fox and his wife, Elva;
Nick Heidy and his wife, Helen; Zairat Hossain and his wife, Rozy; Janet Jones and her husband, Al Krajecki; Joel Jones; Marilyn Leftwich and her husband, Bob Winslow; Vernon Lynch; Roger Peters; Paul Pixler and his wife, Bettie; Steve Roderick; Harrold Shipps; Tom Skurky; Duane Smith and his wife, Gay; Al Spencer and his wife, Jan; Shaila Van Sickle; Bob Wageman; Craig Young; and, John Zoller and his wife, Ruth.
Rita, who had held a variety of jobs while the couple lived in Fort Collins and the Denver area, began working for Tom McCulloch, a Durango physician and surgeon. She held the job, first on a full time basis and later part time, until she became too ill to work. Tom was a wonderful doctor. He supervised her treatment and gave her emotional support during her final illnesses.
In the 1960s, Hal became interested in solar energy. As a result of that continuing interest, Hal and Dr. Roy Craig founded local solar groups in Durango and in other communities throughout the region. Hal took a leave-of-absence from Fort Lewis for the 1980-81 Academic Year and served at Deputy Director of the American Section of the International Solar Energy Society. Colorado Governor Richard Lamm appointed Hal to the Colorado Solar Energy Advisory Committee for several terms, beginning in the 1970s. In part because of their mutual solar interests, Roy Craig “sort of adopted” Hal and Rita into the Craig extended family. Roy’s sisters, Dorothy McCormick and Caroline Shryock became special friends to both Hal and Rita.
Hal and Rita had Durango's first modern, solar home designed and built. The family moved into the house in February of 1977. The Mansfield solar home was featured in several international books and other publications and in a number of articles. Hundreds of people interested in solar energy toured the house. Hal and Roy edited a regional solar newsletter for two years. They also gave slide lectures extensively.
In June 1977, Hal and Rita’s daughter moved to Montana, where she eventually finished college and married Peter T. Peterson, her high school sweetheart. Since they finished college, Misty, as she prefers to be called, and her husband, Toby, have lived and worked in the Seattle area. They presently live in Issaquah, in the state of Washington. He is an engineer with the Boeing Corporation. For several years, Misty did computer science contract work for companies in the Seattle area. They have no children but many, many pets. Now, Misty stays home to take care of the pets. Also, the couple has two sideline businesses that keep both busy.
After Misty graduated from college, Hal and Rita established the Mansfield Scholarships at Fort Lewis College. That was in the early 1980s. Since then, over 40 scholarships have been awarded to psychology students. The awards are made by psychology faculty vote. Most years, two students per year have been honored. The scholarships are for an academic year (two semesters). Many of the Mansfield Scholars have gone on to graduate programs and have fashioned successful careers, though not all in psychology.
Losing Rita and life beyond:
Hal retired from teaching in 1993 to spend time at home with his ailing wife. Rita had been in seriously declining health for some years due to a genetic problem. She contracted pancreatitis shortly after Hal retired. Rita finally passed away on December 19, 1993. Although she is sadly missed, her passing was a blessing, since even modern medicine could do nothing for her health decline and concomitant suffering.
In1994, as sinecures, Hal drove 6,500 miles through several western states and, later, 11,600 miles through the Midwest, East and South, visiting family, friends and former students. In 1995, with friends, Preston and Judy Somers and Judy’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Combs of North Carolina, Hal spent two weeks on a tour in Ireland; then, on his own, Hal did a tour of England and Wales; after that, he toured various places in England and Amsterdam, Holland on his own.
No summary of Hal’s life would be complete without mentioning an informal “breakfast group” that met on Saturday mornings for the better part of twenty years. “Members” of the group included: John and Louise Voelker; Tom McCulloch and Jean McCulloch; Shaila Van Sickle and John Sanders; Louis and Dorothy Newell; Peggy Bell; Helen Robinson; and, the “grand old man” of the group, Don Spencer, a renowned mathematician. These “members” were the nucleus of a changing “group.” Jean McCulloch died. So did Louis Newell. Then, John Voelker and Tom McCulloch were killed in the infamous Egyptian Airliner (Flight 990) crash. Finally, Don Spencer died at age 89. After that, regular meetings pretty much ceased.
In recent years, with his special friend, Dorothy Newell, Hal spent time in Arizona and Puerto Penasco, Mexico; in addition, she and Hal spent time on the Kona Coast of Hawaii, on a Caribbean Cruise, and they took tours of both Northern Mexico and the Copper Canyon and Mexico City and the Southern Ancient Ruins and Colonial Cities in Mexico. Other trips included one to Houston, Texas to visit Terry Hershey and the two made a “self-guided tour” around Florida.
More recently, and on his own, Hal spent a month in Costa Rica, a month in Scandinavia, England and Paris and three weeks in Southern Mexico. In addition, there have been numerous “short” trips for visits with family, friends and former students and to high school and family reunions.
Mostly, however, Hal stayed home, puttered around in the yard, attended social events, and went to concerts and college events, particularly sports events. Hal also worked at his computer, wrote letters and articles and read, sometimes extensively, in both fiction and non-fiction genres. Hal and Roy Craig played chess often from the 1970s until Roy’s untimely death in March 2004.
In part because of encouragement from his sister, Phyllis Mansfield Chance, family history research became a hobby for Hal in 1988. His files include the names of nearly 3,000 family members, past and present, and 200 photographs, plus other data.
Early in 2004, he bought a TV monitor, VCR player and a DVD player. After making those purchases, Hal, a dedicated “movie buff” since his days at Fox Theaters, watched over 100 movies, old and new, at his home.
Hal actively participated in the 2004 political campaign in La Plata County. The Democrats carried every office, from President to County Commissioner.
In March of 2005, he bought a house in Green Valley, Arizona. He sold his Durango house and property in June and almost all of his ‘worldly possessions,’ except his art collection, his photo collection and personal effects.
After the sale of his Durango property, he moved to Masonville, Colorado and spent the summer in an apartment made available to him by his niece, Pat Chance Conner, and his sister, Phyllis Mansfield Chance. He helped with the fieldwork for a couple of hours most days. He helped move the wheel line irrigation system, did some fence work and helped with manual weed control. When not working, he read, did computer work in the Loveland library and visited family, friends, a former DU professor and an Army buddy and his wife in Illinois.
Leaving Colorado and HalMansfield.com:
On September 10th, he moved into his Green Valley house. Since he sold all of his furniture and household goods, he set about furnishing the house by buying used furniture at a local used furniture store and from the local thrift store. Then, he drove to Durango, rented a truck and car dolly, loaded the truck with his art collection and personal effects, put his car on the dolly and returned to Green Valley. There, he set about the task of putting his wall art up and otherwise ‘settling in.’
In February of 2006, he contracted with Britt Bassett and Ilana Stern (Durango Consulting Group) to have a personal Webpage established. Since then, he has been putting examples of his writings on the Hal Mansfield Webpage. Eventually, the Mansfield family history information and a host of other material will be on the site: HalMansfield.com.
Recently Hal indicated that his health, mental attitude and other aspects of life were especially good. What seemed evident to Hal, was that his life, almost entirely, was a series of very, very fortunate circumstances, ranging from extended family, friends, marriage, daughter and son-in-law, colleagues and employers, to timing and to just plain “good luck!”
As of January 2005, Hal was preceded in death by his wife of 37 years, Lorita Young Mansfield, and by his parents, John and Addie Mansfield; two sisters, Mary Jane Mansfield and Ruby Mansfield Stewart; two brothers, Robert Mansfield and John Mansfield, Jr., and a niece, Joyce Stewart Peter and a nephew, Donald Chance. He is survived by his daughter, Maura Ann (Misty) Mansfield Peterson, and her husband, Peter Tobias (Toby) Peterson, of Issaquah, Washington. He is also survived by three sisters, Erma Mansfield Montgomery of Fort Collins, Colorado; Phyllis Mansfield Chance of Masonville, Colorado; and, Ruth Mansfield Taber of Woodland, California; and, two brothers, Gerald Mansfield of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado and Eugene Mansfield of Ogden, Utah; fourteen nephews and seven nieces survive, along with numerous great nieces and nephews and several great great nieces and nephews, many cousins and special friends.