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About 45 years ago, Willard Olesen came to Greenfield to practice law with Jay Howe as part of an internship through the Iowa County Attorneys Association. Two years later, Olesen came and began a practice with Howe. Last week, Olesen retired from practicing law with a career counting 43 years.
Olesen had community involvement in a tight-knit town impressed upon him by his parents growing up in the Pottawattamie County town of Avoca, and Greenfield stuck out to Olesen as he came here through that internship in the summer of 1974.
One of the ways that was impressed upon him here was a daily coffee group he became a part of at The Ideal Cafe, on the south side of the square, with Howe, Ed Sidey, Dale Yount, RJ Green, Bill Sandholn and Dr. Gantz.
In 1976, Howe, who had once practiced law with Elmer Johnson before Johnson passed away, was a solo practitioner and asked Olesen upon his graduation if he’d be interested in coming back to Greenfield to start a career and have a practice with him.
County Attorney
Though much of his internship time in Greenfield focused on county attorney work, Howe didn’t think he wanted to be a county attorney when he moved back to Greenfield, but soon after arriving in Adair County, Olesen was elected county attorney in 1978, a role he would stick to for 16 years.
“I really valued that [time as county attorney]. I had the opportunity to do quite a bit of trial work. It was kind of the thing, at that time, that you tried a lot of cases,” Olesen said.
One example was that, unlike today, drunk drivers didn’t have their licenses revoked until they were convicted of the crime. Now, a license can be revoked upon a failed breathalyzer test.
“I made some lifelong friendships with law enforcement people then, the court personnel, and I met lots of attorneys from throughout western Iowa and Des Moines,” Olesen said. “It was a great opportunity for a young attorney to learn the ropes. I liked that a lot.”
Defense work
In the time after 1994, Olesen has been primarily performing defense work as an attorney.
Through his time as a defense attorney, Olesen has learned that there are many, in his opinion, who get involved in the criminal justice system as a result of substance abuse and mental health problems.
“As a result of that, I’ve really learned a lot about human nature, attempts at rehabilitation, and that we have been really lacking in dealing with mental health problems for young people and adults alike for years. It has really come to fruition now that we need to address these problems more than we have. Our jails have become our mental health treatment and it’s really true,” Olesen said. “I’ve seen the scourge of what methamphetamine has done and it’s a sad story. I’ve become painfully aware that it’s not all about crime and punishment, it’s about giving people an opportunity to better themselves or to deal with the problems they may have.”
Legacy and friendships
In his time in the community, Willard and his wife, Susie, have raised their children, Andrew and Kate, and have been involved in many community endeavors.
Willard, for one, has been involved in the Greenfield Development Corporation, the Adair County Memorial Hospital Board, is a charter member of the local Pheasants Forever chapter as well as the Wallace Centers of Iowa board and was instrumental in the purchase of Henry A. Wallace’s birthplace northeast of Orient. Olesen was a third-generation volunteer firefighter in Greenfield for many years and was once president of the Iowa County Attorneys Association. He helped oversee three overnight stops RAGBRAI made in Greenfield as well.
“In the things I do, I don’t do things to make a name for myself or to particularly be remembered. In fact, as it turns out, many of the friends I have are not only in the legal community but are some folks who were once on the wrong side of the law and turned their lives around in some very significant ways,” Olesen said. “In terms of legacy, I guess I don’t think of those things a lot, but I do think of the friendships I’ve made.”
One of those friendships has been fellow Greenfield attorney Clint Hight, who passed away last year. Olesen considered Hight a friend and even remembers watching Hight wrestle as a high-schooler here when he first came to town.
“Mike Maynes has also become a great friend of mine. Both of those guys are quite a bit younger than I am,” said Olesen. “I’ve had the opportunity to observe people mature and become important members of society.
“I would hope that maybe the things I did would serve as a reminder that the way one improves the joy of his existence is to make his community better.”