Edward D. Harrison |
| Posted 2016-10-23 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Friday, October 7, 2016, page 5a Edward D. Harrison, 80, passed away on Oct. 4, 2016, in Prescott, Arizona. Edward was born on Feb. 16, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ABC Funerals of Prescott Valley handled all arrangements. -------------------------- The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Sunday, November 13, 2016, page 6a Edward Harrison, 80, of Prescott, Arizona, formerly of Bloomington, Illinois, died October 4, 2016, at the Northern Arizona VA Veterans Hospital, in Prescott. Ed was a beloved husband, father, brother, son, community leader and philanthropist wherever he lived. Born February 16, 1936, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the second child of Dr. Israel and Ida Harrison, Ed attended Lower Merion High School and earned a Bachelor of Science, in Business Administration, at Drexel University in Philadelphia. While at Drexel, Ed served as Social Director at the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, and organized award events featuring entertainers Sammy Davis Jr., Eddie Fisher, Brenda Lee, and Mario Lanza. He served his country as a member of the United States Army, Army Security Agency, while stationed in Sinop, Turkey, 1958-1961. It was there that he developed his famous cartooning and caricature drawing skills, which he practiced for the rest of his life. After being discharged from Ft. Dix, Ed worked as a traveling salesman, selling humorous postcards throughout the Midwest. He later relocated to Chicago, where he worked for the original Abelson-Frankel advertising agency. A resident of Bloomington from 1970-1999, Ed served as president of the Downtown Merchants Association, president of ISU Friends of the Arts, belonged to the Young Mens Club, where he threw lunch rolls with the best of them, and president of the Zoological Society, during which he helped develop the Miller Park Zoo petting zoo. Ed was an active member of the Bloomington-Normal Ski Club, the B-N Sailing Club, and was a master crepe maker. An entrepreneur, Ed owned and operated Darkroom Express, a custom film developing business in downtown Bloomington. Ed organized a hugely successful drive to collect toiletry items in Bloomington to be sent to American fighting men and women in Operation Desert Storm, and upon retiring to Prescott in 1999, founded perhaps his greatest achievement, the philanthropic Yavapai Toymakers. This 501 charity specializes in construction of over 7,000 handmade wooden toys a year for children in hospitals, clinics and shelters throughout Arizona. Ed is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cindy Harrison, of Prescott; sons Scott Harrison, of Bloomington, and Ian Harrison, of Henderson, Nevada; and brothers Dr. Bernard Harrison, of Austin, Texas, and Nathan Harrison, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ed was a member of Temple Adath Israel on Philadelphia’s Mainline, and Moses Montefiore Temple in Bloomington. Donations in Ed’s memory can be made and sent to the Yavapai Toymakers, 4941 Summit Circle, Prescott, Arizona, 86301. Last, but not least, Ed will always be fondly remembered at Bryn Mawr Grammar School as the first and only person to be Marble King twice, a feat he accomplished in 4th and 6th grades. Ed Harrison will be always be loved and missed. Celebration of Life Service will be held on November 19, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at the Prescott VA Chapel with full military Honors. Information provided by survivors. |
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