Andrew Sturgis Harris

Andrew Sturgis Harris -- sailor, skier, pilot, architect, entrepreneur, community volunteer, and for many decades, town board member in his cherished Manchester-by-the-Sea -- died on July 5, 2019, of mantle cell lymphoma.

Andy was born in Albany, New York, August 30, 1938, to Josephine Sturgis Harris and Albert Hall Harris, M.D. The summers of his youth were idyllic at his grandmother's home overlooking Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea. He played with his many cousins and learned to sail.

After preparing at Judson School in Scottsdale, Arizona, Andy attended Harvard College, where he was a member of Lowell House and the Class of 1960. (Indeed, Andy has, in recent years, been an active and beloved member of the Class of 1960, attending several Class events.) Andy arranged his academic schedule to accommodate three-day weekends for skiing in New Hampshire. He spent a year at the University of Munich perfecting his German and his skiing, thus graduating with the Class of 1961 with an AB cum laude in architectural sciences. Andy studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1961 to 1965, earning a Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1965.

Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hired Andy in 1965; he was introduced by Bob Newman to architectural acoustics, establishing a career “built upon my private pilot’s license and the politics of community noise” he found to be “wonderfully rewarding”. Before moving back to New England in 1970, Andy managed BBN’s office in New York City. In 1981, well along in his career at BBN and with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree earned at Northeastern University in 1976, Andy asked his BBN co-workers Bob Miller, Carl Hanson and Nick Miller to join him in establishing a new acoustics consulting company focusing on transportation noise. They agreed to form Harris Miller Miller and Hanson (HMMH). In 1983 they hired their first senior technical staff member Chris Menge. Chris helped Carl to build the surface transportation business.

From its founding, Andy Harris was the motivating and inspirational presence at HMMH and served as President and CEO during the first eight years. His strongly held belief in fairness, generosity, and integrity in all actions, not only for clients but for employees and competitors as well, established the company culture. These beliefs led to a culture of trust, openness, and inclusion. It was the trusting personal relationships that he, the other founders and the later employees established throughout their work that became the widely recognized HMMH trademark. Andy continued actively consulting and innovating at HMMH until 2000.

Andy received a Master of Arts degree (1996) and a Doctor of Ministry degree (2003) from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Andy is survived by his wife Katharine (Kate) Culhane; their daughters Danielle Benoit of London, U.K.; Monique Benoit of Danvers, Mass.; Heidi Harris of Marietta, Georgia; Lisa and Christopher Follett of Columbia Falls, Montana, and Marguerite Quevedo of Naples, Florida. Andy and Kate's grandchildren are Cheyenne Sandoval, Kaitlin Quevedo, Sofia Quevedo, Anabel Quevedo, Charlie Pasco; and their great-granddaughter Lily Moss.

Donations in Andy's memory may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church, 48 Middle Street, Gloucester, MA 01930, or to Emmanuel Church, 24 Masconomo Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944. Andy's service was held on July 20 at Emmanuel Church.

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This obituary (here slightly modified) was published in the Gloucester Times on July 18, 2019.