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tually made their way to an editor at National Geographic, who hired him to produce the first-ever pan-aerial book of Africa, Through the Eyes of the Gods. Four more aerial books followed, taking him around the globe from Latin Amer- ica to the Arctic, shooting and lecturing. Haas' books are some of National Geo- graphic's most successful titles, and he donates the royalties to worthy causes. Both Yale and Harvard are also the ben- eficiaries of his largesse, with endowed professorships, buildings, and a library. Like photography, riding motorcycles is a way for Haas to escape. "There's an element of danger," he says. "You put on a jacket, get on your bike, and you're James Dean." His latest book, a self-pub- lished volume titled Shakespeare and the Brothers: Embedded with a Band of Bik- ers, is the result of a yearlong adventure riding with a Texas motorcycle club com- prised of war veterans, who allowed him access in exchange for anonymity. Haas' fascination with biker life and interest in how men exposed to combat deal with civilian life led him to write the book. Haas printed 5,500 copies, enough to distribute to the club's members and his acquaintances. "The fact that the broth- ers opened up so readily and so deeply was a surprise to me — and to them." The world of finance can be a self- centered one, he says. "When you're out there to make money, the beneficiary of your success is usually you." His artistic pursuits are a way to give back. "I'm always trying to force new ground, raise the bar, to do something unusual. The whole point is to make as many people as possible the beneficiary of those efforts." Haas Motorcycle Gallery at Dragon, free and open to the public, 1500 Dragon Street, Suite B1, 972.807.9302. Crescent to a private motorcycle gallery. As the collection grew, the idea to open a public gallery appealed. "My goal is to make it sensational," says Haas, who has searched the globe for unique, elusive examples rarely seen by most collectors and enthusiasts, much less in one room together. Highlights include a rare 1901 L'Uni- versel, one of the oldest motorcycles ever made (believed to be the only one exist- ing); an outrageous 1937 experimental Swiss-designed Mercier — half tractor, half motorcycle — made by the French army, which later rejected it; two unique rides created by Lebanese-born artist Rafik Kaissi, who hasn't sold his work until now; a mint 1930s Brough Superior SS80, the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles favored by the era's swells (George Ber- nard Shaw had a Brough Superior; Law- rence of Arabia was killed on one). Haas snagged a hand-built Deus ex Machina American 1200, custom-made for Ryan Reynolds, after two hours of negotiations with the actor, who initially didn't want to sell. Says Haas of his collection: "Every one of these cycles has a story behind it." His own story is equally good. Having grown up in Cleveland, he left home at 16 and later put himself through Yale Uni- versity undergraduate school and Har- vard Law School. He made his fortune in Dallas in the late '80s, investing in Dr Pepper and 7Up with former business partner Tom Hicks. But it was for a 1994 trip to Africa that he purchased his first camera and set his life on an extraordinary course. "I had to ask [the camera sales- man], 'Which button do you push to take a picture?'" he remembers. He quickly got the hang of it, and on a subsequent trip, he hired a helicopter and a pilot and rigged a harness so he could hang out the door and train his lens on wild animals running across the savannah below. A daredevil artist was born, and Haas spent the next couple of years dangling from helicopters above Africa. His remarkable aerial photographs even- Below: Aerial photo of flamingos, taken by Haas for National Geographic. PHOTO BY ROBERT B. HAAS (Continued from page 70) Vintage and rare motorcycles, Haas' original photography 72