Haskell (Hack) Edmond Hestand, Jr., son of Martha Jeanette Ricker and Haskell Edmond Hestand, Sr., MD, was born in Odessa, Texas, August 2, 1947, and deceased in Dallas, Texas, December 30, 2020. 
 

Haskell was a 1965 graduate of Odessa High School, where he was chosen to play the oboe in The Band of America, which toured the U.S. and Canada; was elected Most Intelligent Boy for two years; was on the Student Council, Debate Team, and graduated with honors. 
 

He graduated from SMU with an MFA in Drama and moved to Los Angeles, where he was involved in commercial work with a talent agency.  He, later, re-established contact with Jack Clay, Head of the SMU Drama Department, and returned to Dallas, where they founded Stage#1, the SMU off-campus theater.  He also founded The Open Stage, with Cynthia Hestand, which produced many area premieres.
 

While still involved with theater, he developed an interest in counseling, and became a certified counselor and was a respected staff member at Green Oaks Hospital.  He was also a Life Coach for several years.
 

Haskell is survived by his cousins Norma Ricker Stewart, Rev. Dr. Roy (Rick) Ricker, John Lynn Ferguson, MD; Cynthia Hestand, Janice Barris, and niece and nephew, Emily Mendez, and Nathaniel Barris.
 

He is interred in Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa, Texas.