Vince

I had some bad news at the end of last week. I learned that a gentleman I met about five or six years ago died in early September.

I had come to know Vince Harrison because of his desire to memorialize his wife who passed away in 2004. Jo Harrison had been an executive assistant with the Walgreen Corporation reporting to two CEOs. Her love of her job led Vince to us – we have a multi-generational relationship to the company. Jo was the love of Vince’s life and I recall more than once his tears when he remembered their 45 year marriage.

And, you wouldn’t think Vince would be a crier. From his obituary:

Mr. Harrison was born January 1, 1928 in Flint, Michigan, the son of Jack and Aleena Harrison. A graduate of Fenton High School, he was a WWII veteran who proudly served with the U.S. Army in the South Pacific. Upon return he earned an undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Detroit and a Master’s Degree from Wayne State University. He married the love of his life, Jo Mattar, in 1959 and she preceded him in death on her birthday December 6, 2004. Mr. Harrison held various managerial positions in the private sector for 21 years, primarily with the Ford Motor Company and Pfizer International. He then established a Career Management Consulting firm in Chicago over the ensuing 14 years with numerous Fortune 500 clients. . . . Sports played a major role in his life. He earned 11 varsity letters at Fenton High School being an All-State nominee four times in football and basketball as well as a selected Genesee County All-Conference six times. Subsequently, he was awarded two varsity letters in baseball from the University of Detroit; was a member of numerous club and recreational championships in Flint, Detroit and Chicago including a national title in Platform Tennis in 1990. Mr. Harrison received a number of outstanding awards over the years including induction four times in various Halls of Fame. These include the Fenton High School Lifetime Achievement HOF (2003); Greater Flint Area Sports HOF (2008); Fenton High School Athletic HOF (2008 and 2011).

Even into his eighties, Vince was admirably physically fit. He had a hearty hand shake and if you grabbed his upper arm while taking his hand, you’d feel solid muscle. Vince worked out daily, enjoyed a good cigar, and could pour a strong one – which I discovered the first time we sat on his deck overlooking an offshoot of Lake Fenton.

I mentioned that our meeting related to memorializing Jo. Part of my role at the University is to work with individuals who want to establish scholarships and Vince reached out to the University through our central development office staff who, in turn, connected him with me. Vince had been an executive who was used to evaluating situations, getting data, and making decisions. At our initial meeting, he pretty much sketched out what he wanted to do and that he wanted personally to select the student who would receive the scholarship. This, of course, is a bit of a problem as when one makes a gift to a non-profit such as us, one cedes control of the asset. Sure, you can negotiate the broad use of a gift, but the day-to-day administration is to be kept at “arm’s length” to comply with IRS regulations. Usually, a donor needs to have the confidence in the organization he or she wants to support to release control comfortably. With Vince, that was the challenge.

He wasn’t an alumnus; he was very emotionally immersed as it was to honor his wife; he was used to being the boss. After a few meetings where he met key leaders of the College and we demonstrated that we knew “the business of education” better than he did, he acquiesced.

Vince established the scholarship and convinced Jo’s former boss to contribute as well. Each year, we’ve awarded the Jo Harrison Memorial Scholarship and the recipients (and their families) have met Vince – to each other’s mutual benefit.

I last saw Vince in July. He and I enjoyed a gin and tonic on his deck (by then I had learned to pour my own!), smoked a cigar and talked about life, his faith, memories of Jo, and the future. After we selected this year’s scholarship recipient in August, I called Vince early September and left a message; a week later, a second message. Last week, I called again and again got the recording. I was worried enough to call Vince’s church – he was a lay minister and very involved at the parish – and they informed me that he had passed away a month prior - days before my initial call.

All of this reflection is a reminder to stay in touch with people. I know that Vince would understand that I was unaware of his passing and missed the funeral – but I still feel bad.

Call someone with whom you haven’t connected in a while. Touch base, laugh, and wish each other well. Life is preciously short and those in our life who affect us can disappear without warning.


The complete obituary can be found at: John Vincent Harrison