Arroyo Hondo man remembered for humanity, humor
When news of Ron Hagg’s death made its way through the Taos community, it came as a shock. Hagg was one of those people whose life was lived in the moment, not only to enjoy the company of his many friends, but also to help out animals needing a home and loving care. He was an author, a teacher, filmmaker and humanitarian who will be missed by many.
According to his son, River Mahoney Hagg, via Facebook, Ron Hagg suffered a heart attack while driving Saturday (March 23). Law enforcement were able to revive him at the scene long enough for medics to transport him to an ICU unit at Christus St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe. Hopes that he might survive after being placed in a medically induced coma faded as each moment passed.
When he died, “it was very unexpected. Dad did not suffer and he went peacefully with my big sister [Sunrise O’Mahoney] by his side,” River Hagg said.
There is a photograph posted on social media of his dad looking young and fit, a California surfer through and through. “I always loved this picture of him hitchhiking to San Francisco,” River Hagg said. “Young and Free!! Well, I hope you have a safe journey. Dad. You’re young and free again. Thanks for everything you gave, and taught us all.”
A fourth generation Californian, Ron Hagg was born on Jan. 6, 1948 in San Diego and raised in Burbank. He attended San Diego State University, then transferred to Humboldt State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a teaching credential. “I received my counseling credential from San Jose State University. I have worked in the educational field most of my adult life,” Hagg said in an online biography.
As a teacher, he championed the rights of minorities and the disadvantaged. His first job was helping children of migrant farm labor families.
“There’s this time teaching in Hawai’i and the kids talking to him in Hawai’ian. There’s the fact that his students, old by now, still tell him how grateful they are for his helping them on their path in life,” his bio reads. “When I worked at Hoopa Valley High School in Humboldt County, California I initiated and coordinated the effort to teach the languages of three of our area’s Indian tribes: Karuk, Yurok, and Hoopa. I got these languages accredited with the University of California system. We made the front page of the New York Times. This project was, and still is, a first in California and after 24 years these languages are still taught at Hoopa Valley High School.”
Of course, many local people got to know him through his volunteer work at the Shared Table food distribution and Stray Hearts Animal Shelter. At the shelter, he liked to socialize and exercise a dog named Phinneas. “Hopefully, someone will adopt the dog in memory of Ron,” his friend and Taos News columnist Anne-Marie Emanuelli said.
And, then, there is the pool, and always the water.
Emanuelli said she, her husband, Bruce Gomez, daughter Marielle “have been next-door neighbors to Ron on the Hondo mesa. I can’t remember what year he moved in to the house next door but we connected right away. Primarily, I think, because he had been an educator for many years, but also because he and I love to swim.
“Living a couple of miles from the John Dunn Bridge, he and I would share our river swim experiences and we met regularly at the Don Fernando Pool where we swam laps to stay in shape. I know he had been a lifeguard in California, maybe at Newport or Huntington Beach, and also in Hawai’i, I believe. Anyway, he spoke often about how much he loved the ocean and its marine animals. He said he’s swam near a whale once and, understandably, that had made an impression on him.”
Ron’s ex-wife Amelia Raymond remembered his profound love for the ocean and swimming — a deep connection to nature, an openness to and of Spirit.
“We were married but got divorced in Hawai’i,” Raymond said. “I moved here in 2012 and he followed and settled three miles away across the Arroyo Hondo Valley, so we discovered we made better friends than spouses. We had a deep, mutually supportive friendship.”
As an author, Hagg wrote several books which are available at the Taos Public Library. One of his books, “Escape in Time,” was adapted into a full length film directed by his son, River. He also published “The Taos Rag” for many years and printed them “on his fancy home printer,” Emanuelli said. “The publication contained photos, jokes, cartoons and short articles on people he met, mostly artists. He really enjoyed this until the cost became prohibitive and he couldn’t get enough sponsors or advertisers.”
Throughout his life, Hagg’s byline often appeared on the opinion pages of the Taos News.
One of Ron Hagg’s favorite quotes was by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “What if you slept? And what if, in your sleep, you dreamed? And what if, in your dream, you went to heaven and plucked a strange and beautiful flower? And what if, when you awoke, you had the flower in your hand? Ah, what then?”
In addition to his two children, Sunrise O’Mahoney and River O’Mahoney Hagg, Ron Hagg is survived by his five grandchildren: Mariluna Roman, Makyla Bishop, Ayeila Bishop, Arcata Summers, and Alyna Rose Summers.