Suzanne Harrison

Suzanne Brookhart Harrison was born on Fairfax Road in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1918. She put on a wedding dress in the same room she was born. Sue attended Fairfax and Roxboro Schools and went to Laurel School from 7th grade through 12th grade. She graduated from Vassar College in 1941. Her major was child development. Her mother graduated from Vassar in 1908 and her grandson in 1998. Sue received a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation to the Institute of Living at the University of California in Berkeley to do research on the gifted child. In December of her second year, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. In the following spring, the Lanham Act of congress had given 6.8 million dollars to the Cleveland area for the opening of day nurseries near factories for working mothers engaged it war work. Mrs. Harrison decided to finish her master's at a later date. She became director at one of the day nurseries at the corner of Fleet and Broadway in Cleveland. She had 50 preschool children alone with help of volunteers. She did this for two years. At this period in her life, she volunteered in many child care agencies. She was a secretary of the Day Nursery Association and an assistant director of the Mather Day Nursery. She served on the children's council of the United Appeal. She was also active in the Children's Council of the Welfare Federation. Also served on various committees of the Junior League. She later became a significant volunteer money raiser for several agencies. She raised two million dollars for a new campus at the Beech Brook Center for Seriously Disturbed Children. She served on the board of Beech Brook formerly known as the Cleveland Protestant Orphan Asylum for more than 60 years, beginning in 1948. She was made a Life Trustee of Beech Brook in 1994. She had served as President of the Beech Brook Board in the mid- sixties. As chairperson, of the fund-raising committee in 1975, she raised three million dollars for the renovation of the campus on Lander Road in Pepper Pike. One million dollars was from the state. Mrs. Harrison served on the board of the Judson Retirement Community for many years. She was chairperson of the committee to raise money for the acquisition and renovation of Wade Park Manor which had been purchased by Judson Retirement Community. The committee raised 4.1 million dollars. She was also head of the committee that raised several million dollars in conjunction with the Bierman Foundation for the new Bierman Nursing Center at Judson Park. The outstanding volunteer fund raising award was presented to Mrs. Harrison in 1991 by the National Society of Fundraising Executives. She also won the Edward F. Meyers Outstanding Trustee Award in two separate years. The first was in 1979 in appreciation for money raising at Beech Brook and again in 1986 for her participation in money raising at Judson Community. The awards were presented by the Cleveland Hospital Association. At Laurel School, she was active in starting the Prentiss Society, a gathering of donors to Laurel. She served on various committees over the years. Mrs. Harrison enjoyed wild bird shooting duck, quail and turkey. She also enjoyed competitive skeet shooting at the Hunting Valley Gun Club and shooting sporting clays in Port Clinton with her husband as well as shooting quail, dove, duck and turkey in the south. She belonged to The Intown Club, The Play House Club, The Twenty-First Century Club, The Shaker Lakes Garden Club, The Kirtland Country Club, and The Hunting Valley Gun Club. She participated in the Town Hall, Access to Arts, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Ballet, Great Lakes Theater, and the Cleveland Play House. Mrs. Harrison also enjoyed golf, tennis, traveling all over the world, and was constantly swimming. She is survived by her daughters, Mary H. Lansing John of Naperville, Illinois; Virginia Knight of Portola Valley, California; and a son, H. Stuart Harrison Jr. Judith of St. Helena, California. Mrs. Harrison has six grandchildren, Townsend Lansing, Charles Lansing, Suzi Davis, Tatiana Harrison, Rodney Knight, and Krista Knight. She had two step-grandchildren, Alexis Pasquariello and Cassandra Pasquariello, and six great grandchildren, Nathan Lansing, Noel Lansing, Graham Lansing, Alexander Lansing, Rachel Davis and Hudson Davis. The family request memorial contributions may be made to Laurel School, 1 Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122; Beech Brook Center, 3737 Lander Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44124, or Fairmount Presbyterian Church, 2757 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118, where Funeral Services will be held, Tuesday, January 11th at 11 am. Interment will be in Lake View Cemetery. BROWN-FORWARD Service 216 752 1200


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