“There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and our thoughts, as well as our success.” - George Matthew Adams
Harold is a native New Yorker, born, raised and still living in Brooklyn, NY, who earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Wagner College and his M.A. in Counselor Education from New York University. Since graduating, Harold has been a steady supporter of Wagner, through donations to the annual fund, various sports teams, the Wagner College Men's Center and the Center for Global Learning.
Harold has always felt a responsibility to give back to the school. His contact with the college increased when Harold's office at Merrill Lynch became one of the first Internship sites run by Dr. Walter Rohrs back in the late 80's early 90's (Dr. Rohrs created the career development initiative). Harold mentored students who were interested in the financial services and developed a wonderful relationship with Dr. Rohrs through the initiative. Dr. Rohrs would ask Harold to come to campus and speak with the students during his career seminars and Harold would talk about how to market themselves.
When Lisa De Respino Bennett became Alumni Director she got Harold more involved. Since he was already a Class Agent when Fred Williamson stepped down as President of the National Alumni Association (now known as the Wagner Alumni Association), Harold took over from '94-'97. Lisa and Frank Young kept Harold close to the college throughout the years, but it wasn't until he met President Richard Guarasci that he solidified his relationship with the college.
Since then Harold has served as the Chair of the Inner Circle, a Wagner leadership giving society in which members annually donate $1,500+ each year to the school, spearheading the effort to create a marketing campaign that asked Wagner alumni to make leadership gifts in honor of their favorite professors at Wagner College.
He is also the author of the children's book Hey Dad, Let's Have a Catch, which he will be reading on campus for future Seahawks (children of alumni) during Reunion Weekend at the Ice Cream Social on Saturday afternoon, prior to being featured on Fox & Friends the following Sunday, June 15th as a part of their Father's Day segment.
This year Harold will receive the Kevin Sheehy Alumni Leadership Medal at the Reunion Weekend Alumni Awards Luncheon in honor of his work behind the scenes related to fundraising for Wagner.
For a look at other Alumni Award winners, both past and present, visit the Alumni Association Achievement & Service Awards page on our website.