About Dale G. Haake

Dale G. Haake is a distinguished Quad Cities attorney, published poet, and longtime advocate for public service whose career bridges law, literature, and community life. For more than four decades, Dale has practiced law as a Partner and Shareholder at Katz Nowinski P.C., where his work has focused on bankruptcy, commercial law, and immigration, including family unity and naturalization matters. He is admitted to practice in both Illinois and Iowa, multiple federal district courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court.

Beyond the courtroom, Dale has built an equally notable literary life. His poetry and prose have been published and recognized for more than fifty years, beginning with early work during his undergraduate years and continuing through recent publications in Lyrical Iowa and Ravensperch. His writing has earned numerous awards, including multiple prizes at the Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest and publication in respected regional journals. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Poet Laureate of the Quad Cities, a role in which he brought poetry into schools, libraries, public institutions, and civic gatherings across the region.

Dale is a frequent reader and featured poet at cultural events, museums, and academic institutions, including the Figge Art Museum, Quad City Arts, Augustana College, and WVIK public radio. His work has been selected by nationally recognized poets, including Pulitzer Prize winner Franz Wright, and one of his poems was commissioned for Augustana College’s 150th anniversary. His poetry is known for its attentiveness to place, history, and moral imagination—qualities that resonate deeply with the Mississippi River region and its people.

In parallel with his professional and literary pursuits, Dale has maintained a longstanding commitment to civic and nonprofit service. He has served on the boards of Ballet Quad Cities, the Davenport Art Museum (now the Figge Art Museum), and the Quad City Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees, among others. He has provided decades of pro bono legal service through Prairie State Legal Services and H.E.L.P. Legal Aid, and in recognition of this work, he was named a co-recipient of the Harry A. Blackmun Award for volunteer legal service to the poor and elderly.

Dale G. Haake’s career reflects a rare synthesis of intellect, service, and creativity. Whether advocating in court, mentoring young people, or giving voice to shared experience through poetry, he has contributed meaningfully to the cultural and civic fabric of the Quad Cities.

Dale joins us at the 18th Annual Henry Farnam Evening to share a newly written poem, composed especially for the occasion.

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