Wilhelm Haas ’53, H ’88 died on October 18, 2024, in Bonn, Germany.
(The following is a family provided account:)
Wilhelm ‘Bill’ Haas ’53, died October 18, 2024, in Bonn, Germany.
After a long and fulfilled life, Bill Haas, 93, passed away peacefully at his home in Bonn, Germany, surrounded by family. He was born on August 18, 1931, the son of Wilhelm and Ursula Haas. He attended school in Tokyo and Beijing, where his father had taken the family in 1938 to protect his wife from Nazi persecution due to her Jewish ancestry, and in Bremen, Germany.
Enrolling at Bowdoin in 1949, Bill was one of the first German students to attend an American university after WW II. He spent the summer of 1950 hitchhiking across the US, speaking at Rotary Clubs along the way to finance his travels. At Bowdoin, Bill was an active member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
After returning to Germany, Bill went on to study law at the Universities of Bonn and Munich, graduating in 1954. He subsequently joined the West German foreign service to pursue a diplomatic career. His early postings as a diplomat include Madrid, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Nairobi, Brussels, New York, and Paris, besides intermittently serving at the Foreign Office HQ in Bonn.
In 1985, Bill was appointed German ambassador to Israel and in this capacity was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Bowdoin College in 1988. He subsequently served as ambassador to Japan (1990–1994) and the Netherlands (1994–1996) before retiring to Bonn.
Bill devoted his retirement years to his family and to his three greatest passions – travelling, golf, and solving the daily New York Times crossword puzzle. He is survived by his wife of almost sixty-three years, Sylvia Haas, by his children, Jan W. Haas ’84, Philipp G. Haas, Sonja A. Haas, and Christoph P. Haas, and by seven grandchildren.