In Memoriam: Harold "Hask" Haskins (1935-2020)

Harold Haskins was a beloved administrator who worked at Penn for over 30 years. He helped make Penn more hospitable for Black students when there were few Black students on campus when he started working for Penn in the 1970s. He helped to create organizations such as the Onyx Senior Honor Society, the African-American MBA Association, the PennCap Pre-Freshmen Program, the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program, the Center for Africana Studies Summer Institute for Pre-Freshmen, and Penn's Tutoring Center. Referred affectionately by students as "Hask,"  he mentored thousands of students both during and beyond his time at Penn. Hask advised Black students about how to navigate Penn's social and academic environment and connected them with summer internships as well as jobs after graduation. Even if a Black student graduated after 2007, they still benefitted from the programs that he created. Sadly, Hask passed away on August 5, 2020, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of the thousands of people that he helped.