Bill Haw Sr., who was one of a kind in the Kansas City area community, died last week at the age of 85.
A Kansas rancher who thought outside the box to pioneer various new methods of managing his cattle and land, he will perhaps be remembered most for his work in the Flint Hills and the West Bottoms.
Before selling his two Flint Hills ranches in 2021, he worked to create perpetual easements with the Nature Conservancy to preserve his 14,000 acres of prime grassland deep into the future.
Haw bought the Livestock Exchange Building in Kansas City's historic West Bottoms neighborhood in 1991. At the time, the neighborhood was largely desolate and in need of development. But his vision for the future was a neighborhood that would be an appealing, approachable and safe place. He would go on to play a significant role in helping to revive that area.
"I hope (my dad) is remembered for his achievements, that's really going to be his legacy that's identifiable without knowing much about him," Bill Haw Jr. told KCUR's Up To Date.
"And, I guess I hope he's also remembered for just the way he dealt with people. His sense of fairness, and just the way he did business and did friendships."
- Bill Haw Jr., owner of Haw Contemporary, son of Bill Haw Sr.
