Louie still lights way

The News Virginian
Published: December 3, 2008

A symbol of a community and a generation drifted quietly from this world five days ago, but his 87 years here linger, a reflection of the economic vigor that once drove Waynesboro and the character that once embodied America. Louis Hausrath served his country in World War II as a B-17 navigator stationed in England, served DuPont as an engineer for 34 years, served his city as a councilman and mayor, served in his church and was a devoted husband for 63 years. Such a life is worth remembering, and emulating.

As the place he left behind teeters in the shadows of the prosperity he and his fellows built with strong, steady hands, the city and country of Louis Hausrath’s prime stand like his generation in twilight, flickering on the verge of vanishing. Those men and women, whose combination of work ethic, patriotism and sense of civic duty knew no rival, are dying at the rate of 1,500 a day. As they go, we cling to their spirit, for it is a kind of lifeblood in the times that are upon us.

When the stock market crashed, Mr. Hausrath was 8 years old. Born in Canton, Ohio, he grew up in the throes of the Great Depression. He was 20 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, ready then for his first call to serve. Fortuitously for Waynesboro, the tide of post-war resurgence swept him here, to DuPont. But typical of his generation, Mr. Hausrath found more to do than work.

In addition to eight years on the council, including four as mayor, Mr. Hausrath was chairman of the Waynesboro School Board and Central Shenandoah Valley Planning Commission. He volunteered at the YMCA and was a packmaster for the Boy Scouts. A skilled musician who played the clarinet and saxophone and adored opera and big bands, Mr. Hausrath performed in the Waynesboro Symphonic Orchestra and demonstrated his pipes, singing as a soloist for more than three decades at First Church of Christ, Scientist, where he was a member.

Those who have received loans from the DuPont Credit Union, one of the few financial institutions sheltered against the current economic storm, owe Mr. Hausrath a debt. He was the credit union’s president and champion, serving on state and national credit union boards.

At a recent Kiwanis Club meeting, a flurry of Happy Dollars sprung from the hands of members offering tribute to the man they remembered simply as “Louie.” This town, like every other, is carved along partisan and ideological divides, but some people and some truths transcend. Louis Hausrath towers in the memory not so much because of his greatness but because of that which composed it: a zeal to give and serve, to expand horizons rather than simply gaze upon them.

Tests of mettle loom as the economy reaches in the depths toward bottom, wars rage in two countries and enemies lurk. The mountains modern generations must climb reach far beyond the tips of the Blue Ridge. But we needn’t worry about finding a path to the peak. Louis Hausrath and those of his time stand in luminous spirit, pointing the way and lighting it.