“Henry Harder cared deeply about education: education of both the mind and the body. He felt St. George’s was the perfect place for young adolescents to be challenged mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. He had fond memories of Rhode Island from the summers he spent in Watch Hill with his mother and family during the early 1940s. He believed SG could be the place he could only
PHOTO BY RACHEL
A memorial stone for Henry Harder P’79, ’83, who died at his home in Yarmouth, Maine, in 2004 after a battle with cancer, was dedicated during a student-attended chapel ceremony on May 3, 2011. Harder, who graduated from St. Mark’s School and Yale University and served as a naval aviator in World War II, served on the St. George’s Board of Trustees from 1977-86 and from 1990-97. He joined the insurance underwriting firm of Chubb & Son in 1945, became president in 1972, and was CEO from 1980 until his retirement in 1988. He also served on the boards of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Presbyterian Hospital (NYC), and Chubb & Son Inc. A lifelong love of all things mechanical fed Henry’s collection of high performance automobiles, airplanes, snow throwers, tractors and even flashlights much to the delight of his grandchildren. He was a generous supporter of St. George’s. The chapel address during the school day in May was given by Harder’s grandson Geo rg e B rigg s, who taught Latin at St. George’s from 2004-2011. Also in attendance at the service were Harder’s widow, Calista, his daughters, Trudy Briggs and H ol ly H ar der C at lin ’79, and his son, H a nk Ha rd er ’83, who wrote the following:
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HARDER MEMORIAL S TON E DE DI C AT ED I N MAY
wish for during his own boarding school years—a safe, caring environment where the teachers invest themselves in each and every student; an intimate learning setting where every faculty member knew the name of every student on campus and where the success of each student was a top priority. Henry had deep respect for the headmaster and his staff. He loved intellectual challenges and he felt St. George’s was the right place to challenge Holly ’79 and me (Hank ’83). Henry was a great sports booster: he loved to come watch Holly play field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse and watch Hank play football, ice hockey and lacrosse. Sometimes he would even drive up from the family home in southwestern Connecticut, some three hours away, to surprise Holly and Hank and catch an afternoon sporting event. He would be an energetic fan and then return home that same night. His hearty yells and laughs could be heard throughout the playing fields on those days. Henry Harder intensely believed in the mission of St. George’s School and he worked diligently as a trustee to make sure SG had the resources well into the future to support its mission to educate young people. Henry was a fantastic trustee but more importantly he was a loyal friend to the faculty, staff and students of this school. He would have a wide smile and a ready hug for family and friends gathered today. And true to his nature, he would attempt to re-focus the attention of today back to the people who make St. George’s great: the students and teachers!”
Former faculty member and Harder’s grandson, George Briggs, daughter Trudy Briggs, wife Calista Harder, daughter Holly Catlin ’79 , and son Hank Harder ’83 pose with the Harder Memorial Stone, along with Head of School Eric Peterson.
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