Remembering Ernest Haberkern, statistician, computer programmer, social justice advocate

Ernest Haberkern, July 19, 1936 – Dec. 28, 2024

Ernie was born in Springfield, Ohio, and passed peacefully in Portland, Oregon, on Dec. 28. His family moved to St. Louis when he was 8, and he lived there until he left for college at Notre Dame. In 1958, he moved to Berkeley to attend grad school at Cal in classics, ultimately completing a master’s degree in statistics.

He and his wife, Rosalyn, met in Berkeley through leftist politics, and they married in 1962. Ernie spent most of his career working as a statistician and then computer programmer at Cal, retiring in 1993. Berkeley remained his home until 2022, when he and Rosalyn moved to Portland to be near their daughter, Anne, and her family.

Ernie was a passionate advocate for social justice. Among the many causes he supported were the Free Speech Movement, various civil rights organizations, the United Farm Workers and the opposition to the Vietnam War. He served as a grievance officer for AFSCME representing UC workers. Among his proudest moments were when he won victories against the unjust treatment of employees by UC bosses. In recent years he spent much of his time researching and writing about socialist and other anti-establishment movements.

Ernie was known for his diverse interests. Along with Rosalyn, he was an avid traveler enjoying trips all over the world, including many extended stays through home exchanges and language immersion programs.

A polyglot, he studied Russian, Spanish and French (and on a trip to Japan to visit his daughter Katy, he purchased a Japanese newspaper every day, though we weren’t sure what he gleaned from it). An exercise fanatic, he took up running as an early adopter in the 1970s, and upon turning 70 and deciding he was no longer young enough to run long distances, he turned to yoga, which he practiced enthusiastically until he left Berkeley as an 80-something.

Perhaps most importantly, Ernie was a loving husband to Rosalyn, father to Katy Mogal (Josh Mogal) and Anne Haberkern (Chris Skinner), and grandpa to Aidan Mogal and Cam Skinner. He is also survived by his sister Patricia Torreyson and many nieces and nephews.

All of us will miss him greatly.