Harold Storey

Remembering a friend

Simply put, leadership was a way of life for Harold Storey. From his military service, to his career, to his work in our community, he was always one to step up and lead with compassion and grace.

“Anyone who came in contact with Harold left better for the experience,” said Head of School Brent Bell. “In one of our last times together, he was laser focused on what he considered a huge problem in our society, hunger and food deserts. What I took away that day was that I was in the presence of a man who would never stop learning, who would never stop serving, and who would never stop looking for a better way. He was an inspiration to me and to so many others.”

Storey grew up in northern Floyd County, attended Gore High School, and went on to graduate early from the University of Georgia so that he could enlist in the Army.

A World War II veteran, he was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries and the Silver Star for bravery when – as the lone remaining officer of four – he reorganized and rallied his remaining troops to cross the Moselle River under fire and take the French town of Metz before proceeding as Captain of Company C, 10th Infantry, Big Red One into the bloody Battle of the Bulge, where he was injured in the snows of Luxembourg.

After recovering in England, Storey was tasked with developing a Wharton-like business preparation school in London for soldiers delayed from returning home. He was featured in Tom Brokaw’s book, “Letters of The Greatest Generation,” and even published his own memoir, “A Man of Peace Goes to War,” in 2020.

Upon returning to Rome, he joined the family business of S.I. Storey Lumber Co. and married his wife, Rena, in 1950. At the time of his death last November, he was still serving as chairman of the board at S.I. Storey Lumber, and he and Rena still lived in the house they had built in 1952.

But Storey is probably best known for his leadership of and loyal service to First Baptist Church and other agencies and organizations in the community, including Star House, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Georgia, Rome-Floyd County YMCA, Kiwanis, William S. Davies Homeless Shelters and Morningstar Treatment Center, to name just a few.

“Dad was energetic, compassionate, an initiator, generous, an advocate for those in need, and someone who was impatient with wrong,” said Rena (Storey) Henderson (’71T). “He loved people, and serving others was definitely a great satisfaction to him. These were characteristics he inherited from his mother.”

Storey served as a trustee at both Darlington and Thornwood School, the all-girls’ school with which Darlington merged in 1973, at different points in his life, and was named a Darlington life trustee in 1993.

“Harold was a key member of the Board of Trustees of Thornwood School at the time of the proposed merger,” said Bell. “As always, he led with grace and humility, and created an environment of partnership and forward-thinking that bettered the educational opportunities for students locally and around the world.”

Storey’s son, Hal (’75), said his father was never one to shy away from change when good and necessary. “Dad was an early proponent of the merger, although not all were, and I know he was pleased that history has proven that to be one of the greatest milestones in Darlington’s history,” he said. “While I was in school, Dad was also among the early community inductees to the Cum Laude Honor Society and he was extremely proud of that. He believed in Darlington and made many lifelong friends through his connections there.”

But when he wasn’t out in the community doing his part to tackle issues like hunger, homelessness and alcoholism, people remember Storey as a joker.

“Dad enjoyed life and he couldn’t help playing jokes on people,” laughed Henderson. “It was usually people that he liked!”

Storey inherited his practical joker status from his father, said Hal.

“Dad’s main practical joke method was a portable boat air horn,” he remembered. “He would keep one in his vehicle and if someone sat too long when a red light turned green, he gave it a blast. His favorite time to use it was on the lumberyard when he came up behind someone on his bike.”

While he may have been a joker at heart, Storey’s impact in his community and in the history of Darlington cannot be overstated.

“Darlington would not be the place it is today without the leadership of thoughtful and forward-thinking people like Harold,” said Bell.

A portrait of Harold Storey painted by his wife, Rena.