In Memory

David Harrison

David Harrison



 
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03/09/10 12:17 PM #5    

Robert Lynch

Dave was a great friend through junior high, high school and beyond. We were golf teammates, had many of the same classes and socialized together for years. He was a brilliant student, became a successful engineer and was an all around good guy. His passing leaves an emptiness in all of us who knew him and we will miss him. My condolences to his family and friends .

03/09/10 03:25 PM #6    

Susan Lear (Weisgrau)

A handsome, smart, kind and gentle young man, and that's how I prefer to remember him -- as he was then. I had been looking forward to seeing him again. He had so much promise, and I'm sure he lived to realize all of that promise. I have a feeling -- and from what I've heard -- his was a life well-lived, and we will miss him enormously -- and the sadly too-many others-- at our reunion.

03/09/10 07:23 PM #7    

Elinor Kim Chait (Hirschman)

The last time I saw David was at the 30th reunion in 1990 which included both the June and January 1960 class. What I noticed the most was that he was still handsome and quiet. The picture I posted was the one that was taken for the "yearbook" put out after that reunion. As I stated in my message to all of you, this is a very heavy hearted feeling about the loss of someone who was taken from us too soon. I know many of you have said that you were looking foreward to seeing him. We need to come together not only for us but maybe for the memory of those we will miss.

03/09/10 09:56 PM #8    

Elizabeth (Betty) Gellard (Hausman)

I am so very sorry and saddend by David's passing. I was looking forward to seeing him at the Reunion. I remember a very fine, quiet, and handsome young man. My condolences to his wife and family. Surely, he will be missed by his classmates and will be remembered by us all.
Betty Gellard Hausman

03/10/10 10:18 AM #9    

Barbara Kreps

David was one of the people I was really looking forward to seeing at our reunion. He was such a good and loyal friend during high school, and I owed him big time for helping me in physics lab, and for his willingness to share his intelligence and quiet--but deep--warmth. He didn't mind my ineptitudes, and he was calm about explaining and taking the wires and showing me how stuff worked. I saw him after GHS a couple of times even though we all scattered to various places for college, but then lost track until Kim got this website going. We have lost a great-souled classmate.

03/15/10 10:00 PM #10    

Marilyn Saull (Kopew)

I was just contacted by Shirley Heffner Siess, David's first cousin who advised that there will be a Memorial Service in Willow Grove Pa this Thursday 3/18 at the First Presbyterian Church in Willow Grove. The family will receive guests at 1:00pm and the Memorial Service will begin at 2:00pm. Shirley had given me the information that David was so gravely ill.
I told Shirley to convey the wonderful Expressions of Sympathy and memories of David that have come over the website to Ruth. It seems we all remember David in the same way as quiet with a beautiful smile, handsome and intelligent.
Marilyn Saull Kopew

03/16/10 10:30 AM #11    

Ernest (Ernie) Feldgus

I too was very saddened to hear of David's passing. I have many fond memories of David from our high school days. We shared many classes together. So sorry to hear he had to suffer with such a terrible illness. I was clearly looking forward to seeing him in May at our reunion. I offer my condolences to all of David's family and many friends. I will try to make it to his memorial service on Saturday, March 20 to try to help represent the GHS Class of Jan'60. We ALL lost a fine human being in David Harrison.

03/16/10 11:15 PM #12    

Elinor Kim Chait (Hirschman)

This is an article that was published about David. Please note the change in the memorial service date.

David W. Harrison Jr.
TEXT SIZE The Intelligencer
David William Harrison Jr. of Toano, Va., passed away Saturday, March 6, 2010, after a courageous and lengthy battle with cancer. He was 67.

He was born June 30, 1942, in Philadelphia to the late David W. Harrison Sr. and Helen H. Harrison. He graduated from Germantown High School as a member of the Class of 1960.

After high school, David attended Drexel University to pursue a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. While at Drexel, he was inducted into both Phi Kappa Phi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies. Socially, David was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and earned the nickname "Duck" from his brothers. He was a participant in the Drexel co-op program and worked at the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster.

David graduated from Drexel in 1965 and began full-time employment at NADC. At the encouragement of his NADC colleagues, David decided to further his education and pursue a graduate degree two years later. He chose to attend the University of Michigan where he excelled academically and graduated in 1967 with his master of science degree in electrical engineering.

Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, David returned to his roots in Philadelphia and continued to work at NADC in Warminster as an electrical engineer. David spent the next 36 years as a civil servant at NADC until the base closing in 1996. He worked almost exclusively on anti-submarine sonar detection systems and extensively on the P3 program. Fortunately, due to his time spent as a co-op, David had enough seniority to retire at the time of the base closing.

His second career choice was to relocate his family to East Greenwich, R.I., to take a senior project engineering position with Raytheon. After seven years with Raytheon, he then chose to relocate to Toano, Va. David most recently worked for defense contractor, ASEC Inc. until his declining health forced him to retire.

Throughout his life, David was an avid craftsman and wood worker. His skills are reflected in much of the furniture in his Toano residence. In contrast with his city upbringing, David had a love of the water and enjoyed kayaking and sailing in his free time. He stayed active playing tennis and skiing with his son and daughter. Of all his life enjoyments, he loved family most of all.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 26 years, Ruth Walker Harrison; and his two children, Todd Harrison, of Arlington, Va., and Wendy Hutchison (Ryan) of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; and two grandchildren, Abigail and Cole Hutchison.

He also leaves behind his lifelong friend, W. Herbert Heffner, of Langhorne, and his mother-in-law, Lucille Walker of Merrimack, N.H.

Services will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Willow Grove on March 20, at 2 p.m. Calling hour begins at 1 p.m.

A private interment will take place in New Hampshire at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Hospice House of Williamsburg, 4445 Powhatan Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23188, or Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 51 Locust Ave., Suite 201, New Canaan, CT 06840. Nelsen Funeral Home & Crematory,

Williamsburg, Va.

March 14, 2010 7:34 AM

03/16/10 11:39 PM #13    

Frances "Frankee" Tint (Greenberg)

I was saddened to learn of David's passing and send my condolences to his family. I remember David much like everyone else, but I also remember his sense of humor. When he asked to sign my Yearbook he asked me what I wanted him to write in the book. I said, "write anything at all David". David smiled that handsome smile of his and when he finished writing he handed my Yearbook back. With David's sense of humor he wrote,"anything at all David". We both laughed. I was glad to learn that he had an impressive career because he was a smart and impressive classmate at Germantown and deserved much success.

03/17/10 04:08 PM #14    

Barbara Bowen (Clark)

I was looking forward to seeing David at our reunion. We had so many happy times together during our GHS years. He had a wicked sense of humor, a remarkable tolerance for being pushed around by teenaged girls who pursueded him to take so and so to a prom, and of course, a gentle strength.
I am saddened at this loss to our class.

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