Kellen Grinnell Haak ’79
Kellen Grinnell Haak ’79 passed away on January 13 after living 10 years with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Kellen was born on March 18, 1957, and grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut. At Dartmouth he majored in anthropology, joined Phi Tau, and was active with crew, the Dartmouth Players, and DOC. After college Kellen worked during the summers as the chef at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge while studying anthropology and museum studies at NYU. After earning his M.A., he worked as the collections manager in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum Department of Anthropology. From 1988 to 2009 Kellen served as collections manager at Dartmouth’s Hood Museum, responsible for the care and documentation of and access to art and artifacts. He loved working on the repatriation of Native American artifacts and cherished a 30-hour memorial potlatch in Angoon, Alaska, and three weeks in Papua New Guinea. Kellen loved meeting and working with artists and enjoyed nature, good food, and military history. A classmate writes: “Kellen’s broad, sly smile and incredibly intense eyes seemed to look right into your soul. I learned a lot about human adversity and resilience as I watched him struggle through some difficult stretches at Dartmouth. I will always remember the passion he brought to everything he touched.” Kellen was preceded in death by his parents, Vail Jr. ’49 and Barbara. He leaves behind sister Amy ’80, 25-year life partner Mary, and beloved dog Rosey.
