May 27

RICKEY HARRISON
10/25/1948 - 05/27/2003

Civil engineer Harrison dead at 54

By Stephanie Hoops
Staff Writer Tuscaloosa News
May 29, 2003

Some people will remember engineer Rickey Harrison for improving the look of West Alabama.

His designs that widened streets, added sidewalks, lighting and other features, and removed eyesores helped bring places like the Alberta community, Moundville and downtown Northport into the 21st century.

Others will remember him as the familiar figure cutting across the Hugh Thomas Bridge on early morning jogs that began and ended at his home in Northport.

“In the mornings, he’d get out and run from his residence to downtown Tuscaloosa," said Northport City Engineer Richard Powell, who saw Harrison jogging Tuesday morning.

Harrison, 54, died Tuesday night of a pulmonary embolism.

A civil engineer, he designed the systems that today bring clean water to many rural West Alabama communities that once relied on often-contaminated well water. He also designed landfills and took on other infrastructure projects in West Alabama.

Harrison’s designs also made areas such as Alberta City more walker-friendly and wheelchair accessible, made room for planting trees and updated their appearance.

“He took an area developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s and brought it into this century," Tuscaloosa City Councilman Kip Tyner said of what Harrison did for Alberta. “And he did so much of the same in other communities. I went to Moundville recently, and it’s unbelievable. All of his projects have his touch.

“He was so gifted," Tyner said. “He just did a beautiful job on all of those."

Harrison died at his home in Northwood Lake in a chair in front of the television, at around 8 p.m. after eating dinner, said Brad Darden, who worked with him.

Most recently, Harrison was in the news for his work as the project engineer on the proposed widening of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Northport. Last week, more than 100 angry residents filled the Northport Civic Center to protest the project.

Harrison faced angry crowds on occasion because he worked on government projects that were sometimes controversial, but he took both praise and criticism in stride.

“I thought he dealt with it very well," Darden said of Harrison’s ability to deal with criticism. “I never saw him get angry or upset. He was always coolheaded and calm."

“Hostile crowds don’t bother me much," Harrison once told The Tuscaloosa News. “Most of the topics we deal with are emotional. Living in America, everybody has the right to their opinion, and that’s great."

Harrison owned Harrison Engineering Inc. in Tuscaloosa.

He was raised in Vernon and began working in Tuscaloosa in the early 1980s.

In 1990, Harrison was named Northport Citizen of the Year.

He was a member of the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tuscaloosa County and served on Northport’s Planning and Zoning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustments. He attended St. Mark United Methodist Church.

Harrison is survived by his wife, Sharon, and two daughters, Heatherly, 28, and Kimberly, 23. His 2-month old granddaughter, Camryn Hayes, daughter of Heatherly and her husband, Andrew Whiteside, was christened this past weekend, allowing the family to be together.

Tyner said he would like to see a fitting tribute, such as a tree or other monument, to Harrison for all of his contributions to the community.

Ed Freeman, a friend and fellow member with Harrison in the Tuscaloosa Track Club, will lead an informal run in Harrison’s memory today at 7 a.m.

The run will cover part of Harrison’s daily 10-mile jogging route, beginning on the Northport side of the Hugh Thomas Bridge, circling Harrison’s office on University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa and returning across the bridge.

The club also will hold a memorial service at the University of Alabama track at 5 p.m.

“We’ll do a victory lap for him," Freeman said. “We lost a very, very good friend."

“He was the most dedicated runner I ever met in my life," Freeman said. “People could set their clocks by Rickey as he ran across the bridge every morning. He was literally a moving landmark."

Harrison’s death stunned the community because he was not ill; a frequent runner in the Boston Marathon, he seemed the picture of health.

In 1996, having completed the marathon, Harrison wrote about the experience in an article that appeared in The Tuscaloosa News.

“I feel like I grabbed a piece of history and a little of Heaven," he wrote. “I don’t know what Heaven is going to be like, but it’s got to be similar to crossing the finish line after you’ve run the 100th Boston Marathon."

Reach Stephanie Hoops at stephanie.hoops@tuscaloosanews.com or 722-0204.
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THOUGHTS FROM TTC MEMBERS...

May 27, 2003

The TTC lost a great supporter and friend tonight.
Rickey collapsed about 8:30 this evening of an apparent embolism and never regained consciousness. He was taken to DCH in Northport where he was pronounced dead around 9 pm .

I became good friends with Rickey about 3 years ago when I moved here. Rickey made me feel welcome and was a great friend and fierce competitor. Rickey was one of the truly good guys, he might not always say a lot, but you could always count on him and know he was sincere. Rickey was a true family man, active in his church and his
community - really makes you wonder why things happen the way they do?

I don't know how Tuscaloosa is going to be able to start the work day without seeing Rickey crossing the bridge across the Black Warrior River like clock-work.

Rickey will be missed by all who knew him as a friend and rival on the roads all over West Alabama .

Ed Freeman
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I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course;
I have kept the faith.
2 Tim. 4:7

I can think of no better words for Rickey tonight then these.

I first met Rickey at St. Marks United Methodist Church where has been an active member. When the Tuscaloosa News gave me the assignment of covering the Track Club I quickly found Rickey to be on of the guys I could always count on for a quote.

I think running must have been a very freeing experience for him. He was certainly a legend in Tuscaloosa, as almost everybody knew that guy running across the bridge. He just did not want to stop running.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw him running up the grassy hill to the bridge where Lurleen Wallace crosses near downtown Northport. I asked him if he was doing extra hill training, and he told me, no, when he got to where traffic merges into Lurleen Wallace, he did not want to stop running, so he ran down the lane until there was a break in traffic, forcing him to run up the hill.

Like many runners, when Rickey crossed the finish line, it was not really the end of the race. He would then have to run some more to cool down. Tonight Rickey reached the end of the course, but I have to believe, he has not stopped running. Surely, when he enters the Pearly Gates, there will be a pair of running shoes there.

He also will continue to run, because of the friendships he has forged. His love RAN deep, for his family and friends. He will be missed.

He will be missed.

Jimmy Boone
Tuscaloosa News
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Sad news in the early morning here in Germany. I can't believe what I read. Unbelievable.

He was a really friend, during exercises and especially when we went to Boston to do the marathon. It was one of my greatest challenge to do the Boston mararthon and I am proud that I could join Rickey in this great run. His spirit helped me to overcome the hardest time during this run at the heartbreak hill. I will never forget how he supported me on this stage on the race. He was somebody you could count on, and he had everytime a smile on his face.

If you have a chance, tell his family and all friends, that I will always remember him, as a good friend from Tuscaloosa, and I will include Rickey in my prayers.

Walter Linsenmaier
Germany
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So sorry to hear about the loss of a great person so suddenly. I just wanted to pay my respects to his family and close friends hoping that this small note will give them a little bit of courage. The sad thing is that the best people in the world are the ones who leave as first.

My thoughts from far away are with those who suffer his loss the most.

Kypros Nicolaou
Cyprus
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Shocked, stunned, saddened, lonely.....all these emotions and more are with me and many others right now. Words cannot describe Rickey. A competitor, yes for sure, a father, one of the best, a husband, devoted and loving, a community citizen, giving and caring, active with his church, a man of great faith. As we grope with the why's and attempt to put meaning to all this it is safe to say that Rickey is in a far better place where he truly has won the race! As I echo the thoughts and prayers many others have shared for Sherry and the girls I hope that others will pause to remember and tell the ones they love how much they care about them. Everything in life pales compared to this. Thanks Rickey, I am truly better for having known you and shared a few miles with you. George Brown ______________________________________________________________________________

What a kick in the gut this morning. I must admit that when I think of the Tuscaloosa Track club one of the key people I always think about is Rickey Harrison.

I spent a lot of time running with him on long runs, and in weekly intervals - I look back at the interval group I was in with him as the most consistent, and most beneficial to my running. I remember running intervals in a true Alabama gully washing thunderstorm with Rickey, I remember running with him a couple of days after he got swideswipped by a tractor trailer load in Northport. Running with Rickey was a lot of fun - he was full of stories about running and racing.

My enduring memory will be of Rickey always showing up for the race, running well, and the image of him walking up wearing that Boston Marathon jacket.

Shane Spiller
Kentucky
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I am full of sadness at this news. My heart goes out to Rickey's wife and family. I am going to miss Rickey Harrison. It just became common to see the ever-disciplined Rickey on his long runs and say "there's Rickey!" Or common to hear Ed's race time and ask "well...what was Rickey's time?" As already mentioned, it will be impossible not to see him crossing the bridge over the Black Warrior River or flying down airport road. Always full of inspiring words, a nice sense of humour (except when beaten by a girl-which didn't happen very often), concern for his community...a good kind soul. Rickey was a great runner. But he was also the kind of person that stuck with marathons even when everything seemed to be going wrong and he knew his time would not be what he had trained so hard for. He always fought the good fight to the end. What I have liked most about the track club, and far more important than the running itself, are the wonderful people I have gotten to know. Rickey is at the top of the list and always will be. You are in our thoughts, Rickey. Laurie Charnigo-Phillips_________________________________________________________________________________________

Yet another shock to the running community.

I have known Rickey for a very long time through the Tuscaloosa Track Club. Of course I've never been able to keep up with him when running, but we chatted about our stress fractures and favorite races. When a person passes, it's always the last thing you talked about that you remember about him or her. My last memory of Rickey was at the Sugar Chase 5K where he said he'd run a personal worst. I tried to encourage him by saying yes, everyone's time was off thanks to the hills, heat, humidity and wind, but Rickey looked really defeated. I wish so much now that he maybe had recognized that as a sign that something was wrong. Running is a very healthy endeavor but doesn't give us any guarantees.

We never know when any of us will go, so lets make every meeting with family, friends and strangers a positive one.

Every Sunday as we do our long run over the Lurleen Wallace bridge we'll pay a tribute to Rickey and remember his life.

Laurie Arizumi
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I am very sorry to hear of Ricky's unfortunate passing. I only hope that he went without pain and in peace. I am sure that God has a much bigger plan for him. I guess now he and David can go for another run together.
You are absolutely right in terms of coming up with some type of memorial race or award in honor of Ricky. He was the epitome of what the sport of running and the TTC is truly all about!

Andy Bosak
_________________________________________________________________________________________It's so very sad to log on and hear this news. I live on the river, and see him religiously, running across the bridge and feel the impact of inspiration, immediately as I see him in stride. Its really sad, and I've never met him, only through sight and sound. Everyone in my running group, always has their finest hour by comparing their fastest times to him, but would never claim their heroic effort being compared to him. He is our real hero, in the finest hour.

Thanks, Caroline
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I'm just getting in off vacation. Such a SHOCK!! I had not gotten the chance to know Rickey, other than seeing him at the races, but all I had heard was nothing but GOOD. I was actually looking forward to doing some speed work with him and the others at the track. Stting here going through and reading all the e-mails about Rickey, makes me wish I had gotten to know him sooner. Seems like we go through life and miss opportunities to get to know those around us.

Mark Rutherford