Irving Harris Obituary

Joan, I worked at the Erikson Institute for nearly 12 years and grew to like and respect your husband a great deal. He always treated me with great respect and listened intently to what I would share with him. You and the rest of the world have lost a great man. I share in your sadness as well as the joy that he brought all of us. God bless.

A giant has left us. We and the world are better for Irving Harris'
intellect, curiosity, generosity and compassion.

The funeral ceremony was also memorable. I will never forget the recessional, "Put On a Happy Face"
softly played piano. I cried like a baby remembering his happy face and his wonderful legacy.

Joan:



I was so honred to know Irving and to have had many opportunities to engage his brilliance and his compassion in conversation. This giant man has left an indelible mark on our city, our country, and the world is a much better place having known Irv Harris.

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.

Albert Pike

Joan,



I will miss Irving. As Bill's partner, Irving always made a point of looking me up whenever I came to Chicago. Meeting with him was always a pleasure - conversation topics would include a mix of business, intellectual stimulation, humor, and references to friends and family. As you can imagine, at the end of any get together, I would leave with a "to do" list, usually including the recommendation of a book or an article to read. Please accept my deepest condolences to you and your family. Boardy Lloyd

Dear Bill and the Harris family;

Our condolences to you and all persons everywhere. The loss of such a caring man is a loss to everyone. He will be missed.

Dear Joan,



The world is a better place because of Irving and because of you.



It has been a privilege to be a part of bring the Music and Dance Theater to reality.



My sincerest condolences in this time of sorrow and memory.



Sincerely, Dave Crowell

On behalf of the staff, board and grantees of Community Memorial Foundation, I offer our thoughts, prayers, condolences and thanks. Upon learning of Irving's passing, our initial feelings were of sadness, but they quickly gave way to wonder and renewed inspiration. It will truly be impossible to measure the long-lasting and far-reaching benefits of his work, passion and legacy. Thank you, Irving.

Dear Joan and Family,

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you with the passing of Irving. He was an extraordinary and inspiring man. I, for one, am better for having known him. He will be greatly missed.

Dear Joan, may God give you the comfort and strength you need in the days ahead.



I feel very privileged to have known Irving, mostly as a walking companion along Michigan Avenue. I have never known a finer gentleman/scholar/philanthropist, all combined into one.



Warm regards,



Elmer Johnson

I never knew Mr. Irving B. Harris personally, but I have read and heard about the many contributions he has contributed to the field of Education and the surrounding community.



Being presented with an Irving B. Harris Fellowship from the Erikson Institute has forever connected me to the values and principals that Mr. Harris represents. It also allowed me the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree.



Thank you Mr. Irving B. Harris for all the lives you have touched and dreams you helped make possible.



My sincere condolences to all your family.

On behalf of the Sara Lee Foundation board and staff, I want to convey our condolences to Joan and to the rest of Irving's family members in their bereavement. Our thoughts are with you in your personal loss, and we join you in mourning the immeasurable loss that will be felt by the Chicago community and by the philanthropic community as a whole.

Dear Joan:



The close personal relationship I had with Irving over these many decades was the source of so much pleasure. His widely recognized committment to significant humanistic issues is well known, but I wish to acknowledge his influence upon me personally. He was a mentor and model contributing much to my own social consciousness and life pattern. I treasure the memory of the warmth of the relationship we shared and will surely miss him. Mary joins we in expressing our mutual sadness.



Richard and Mary

Rome, September 30

The world needs more wonderful people like Irving. His contribution to Chicago, with making the Dance & Music Theatre possible will bring great happiness to millions of people over the many years it will be there.

My sincere concolences to Mrs. Harris.

B. J. Nelson, President of The Saints

The world could use more people like Irving Harris.

I am so pleased to have had the pleasure of knowing this good man.

My Sincere Condolences.

What a terrific family, you are very much in my thoughts.

My sincere condolences to the family. Sometimes it's difficult to accept Irving passing. But I found comfort from the scriptures at John 5:28, 29 and Revelation 21:3,4. Perhaps others will find similar comfort from reading them.

We extend our condolences for the loss of Irving's presence amongst his family and friends. Irving was magnanimous in all that he did, and his immense contribution to his family and community will always be remembered.

My gratitude to Mr. Harris for his support of our mutual efforts to reduce teen pregnancy.

Our deepest sympathies to the Harris family.

I was sorry to read that Irving Harris died. He has been an inspiration to me. I appreciate the leadership that he provided to early childhood education. I attended the brain development workshops sponsored by Erikson and the University of Chicago that he funded. His high standards and generosity inspired me to work harder to understand and apply brain research into my classroom teaching at Harper Community College. He was a great and noble man.

The Board of Directors and staff of the The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) extend their sincere condolences to the family of Irving Harris. For more than half a century Mr. Harris dedicated himself tirelessly to finding ways to prevent and reduce poverty.



As part of that commitment, Mr. Harris generously funded efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and did so long after many other philanthropists moved on to less difficult social issues. He never doubted that progress could be made and lived to see his prediction come true. He was a true humanitarian who believed that each of us can and should contribute to making the world a better place and did all he could to lead by example. We will miss him deeply.



Sharon Camp, Ph.D.

President & CEO

My deepest regret is extended to you and your loved ones in your hour of need. I will send to heaven some extra prayers for you and those closest to you.

Our deepest sympathies to the Harris family.



Janet and David Kayner

TO BILL, ROXANNE & GINGEE

MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO YOU GUYS. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR FATHER MEANT TO ME BACK IN THE OLD TONI DAYS IN ST.PAUL AND HIGHLAND PARK.

JIM GUTMAN

James, Jack, Charles, George and Jean: Sincerest condolences to the Harris & Polsky Family on behalf of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School community. Toby Himmel, Director of Alumni Relations

Dearest Cousin Joan,

Our deepest sympathy goes out to you and everyone close to you.

With Love, Karen,Kelley,Erin and family

Joan:

My most sincere thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of great loss. May God give you comfort.

Dear Joan,

Heartfelt condolences to you and your family. May you find peace and comfort among family, friends and associates who have long admired your commitment to humanitarian and philanthropic causes. The performing arts community is much richer because of

the Harris Family's generosity. Irving will be missed but never forgotten.

With deepest sympathy.

Having known Irving my entire life, I have always admired and respected his kindness, generosity, intellect and his place in the community. The city and the world are better places because of Irving. We will miss him in so many ways and offer our love to you, Joan, and to the whole family.

Dear Joan,

Mel says we have lost a giant of a man and our city and our country will feel this great loss.

My very special memory of Irving, that I love so much, was when you asked me to go to his office and get him some much nicer furniture. You were right, his office was a bit "bare bones". But, after much discussion, he said "o.k., you can recover the chairs, but, no new furniture. I like a bang for my buck, and furniture isn't how I get it!"

We'll miss you, Irving

Love, Mary

My deepest sympathy extended to the family of Mr. Irving Harris...and i would to thank Mrs. Joan Harris and the rest of the family of Mr. Harris for giving me the chance to take care of him.., hes one the amazing person ive ever met and taking care off

Joan: You and Irving shared an immense array of friends and lofty values and gave unstintingly to the community. May the love of this great man who blessed us give you endless comfort and delight. With fond regards, Jane and John Colman

My sympathy is extended to the family of Mr. Harris. His death is an enormous loss to the Chicago community, but he leaves a rich legacy of humanitarian influence. As a graduate of Erikson Institute for Advanced Study in Child Development (Class of '74), I have known, and revered, the name Irving Harris for a long time. His support of not only Erikson, but also Ounce of Prevention, the Beethoven Project, et al., has enriched the lives of countless children and families, not only in Chicago but also across the nation and throughout the world. Those of us who remain owe him a behemoth debt of gratitude, and we share an obligation to continue his work. Thank you, Mr. Harris.

For more than 30 years, Irving has been my mentor and my hero. We celebrate his life and we join with his family and his many friends in mourning his passing.

My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Irving Harris.