Alan John Hagen, 85, of Waverly, died Sept. 21, 2020. He was born Sept. 8, 1935, to Leonore Constance Hagen and Grant Marcus Hagen of Waterville. He attended Waterville Community School graduating in 1953. He attended Luther College in Decorah. Graduating in 1957 with a B.A. in music education and later earned an M.A. in music education from UNI in Cedar Falls.
He taught vocal music grades K-12 in Dysart. At which time he also enlisted in the National Guard. On July 1, 1961, he was united in marriage to Patricia Darlene Eash who was teaching vocal music grades 5-12 in Vinton. Three children were born to this family; Nancy Ann, twins Carol Marie and John Douglas.
In 1962 Alan joined the Waverly-Shell Rock school system as the choral director. A life member of the American Choral Directors Association, he has served on the Iowa Choral Directors Association board of directors and chaired the 1982 ICDA Convention. He has served as panelist and presenter for various state and divisional conventions and conferences as well as having choirs selected to perform for state and divisional Iowa Music Educators and ACDA Conventions.
On two different occasions he presented a complete Madrigal Dinner for the Iowa Choral Directors State Convention. He served twice as guest faculty for the All State Music Camp at the University of Iowa as director for Madrigal and Vocal Jazz ensembles. In 1993 he was invited to direct the ICDA ninth-grade Opus Honor Choir in Des Moines with his wife Patricia as accompanist.
During his tenure at W-SR his choirs received numerous honors at the state, national and international levels – the most significant being the first choir from the North American Continent to win the coveted Prize of Vienna as the best ensemble in the 14th International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria.
In addition to performances for state and divisional music conventions the W-SR choirs have sung in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City. European concert tours included performances in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Scotland, England and Wales.
In 2004 120 W-SR Chamber Choir alumni gathered for the first ever W-SR Chamber Choir reunion to honor Mr. and Mrs. Hagen for their dedication and leadership and presented a concert in Neumann Auditorium on the Wartburg College Campus for an audience of over 700 people with Alan conducting and Patricia at the piano. Following retirement in 1996 Alan directed the Wartburg College Artist Series for four years and in 2007 during Dr. Paul Torkelson's Sabbatical Mr. Hagen was asked to conduct the Wartburg Choir and the Men's Ritterchor second semester which included taking the Wartburg Choir on tour to the Colorado area.
In 1995 Alan was presented the Robert M. McCowen Memorial Award by the Iowa Choral Directors Association for outstanding contributions to choral music in Iowa. In 1996 Alan and Patricia were honored with a certificate of appreciation for outstanding contributions to Choral Music Education by Weston Noble ‘43 of Luther College and Dr. Paul Torkelson of Wartburg College. In 2005 Alan became the second recipient of the Weston Noble Award from Luther College in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of vocal music.
Alan was a member of the Sons of Norway and was also very active at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Waverly where in earlier years he served four years as Sunday School Superintendent. He directed the Adult Choir and Hand Bell Choir for many years working with his wife Patricia as Organist and Director of Music Ministry. In later years the Christmas productions included upwards of 150 St. Paul's participants including Chamber Orchestra. He donated his time and talents through carpentry on numerous projects for the music department as well as the church. Throughout his teaching career and in retirement Alan worked as a carpenter in the Waverly area and built a beautiful home that they enjoyed for eight years before moving to Eisenach Village. He also designed and built the walk bridge between the Waverly Library and Day Care donating his time and labor.
Alan and Patricia were a talented and gifted team who loved their many students who brought such joy to their lives. The Dr. James and Evelyn Rathe family established a very generous endowment with the Go-Hawk Scholarship Fund at Waverly-Shell Rock, naming the gift in honor of Alan and Patricia for their outstanding work in choral music education throughout the school and community.
He is survived by the “love of his life,” Patricia, daughter Nancy Hagen and husband Jonathon Thull of Iowa City; daughter Carol Marie Daubs of Madison, Wis.; son John Douglas Hagen and wife Lori, of Kansas City; grandchildren: Alyssa Daubs, Michael Daubs, Alissa Ryckert, Bianca Ryckert and Caitlin (Ryckert) Zabeck, husband Nick Zabeck; great-grandchildren Lucas Zabeck and Zoe Zabeck; and brothers Grant and Patricia Hagen and Elmo Haugen ’65, and Sheri (Melcher) Hagen ‘66.
A Celebration of Life for Alan will be held in Waverly at a date to be determined later. Interment was in Harlington Cemetery in Waverly. Memorial gifts may be directed to the Waverly-Shell Rock Endowment Scholarship Fund and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School. Online condolences may be left at www.kaisercorson.com
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