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SU Trustees Stan and Doris Harrison Receive 2008 Williams Trophy 12-10-08
Leadership with Regional and International Aviation Policies Cited
The Washington Airports Task Force (WATF) named Shenandoah University Trustees Stan and Doris Harrison of Winchester, Va., as recipients of the 2008 Williams Trophy during the WATF’s annual General Meeting on Nov. 25., for their successful leadership and support of the WATF’s efforts to improve the National Capital Region’s air service capability and their support of U.S. aviation policies of fundamental importance to the economic growth of the region and the nation.
The trophy commemorates WATF founder Carrington Williams and is awarded annually to recognize individuals whose leadership, vision and dedication in the application of aviation or space has enriched the quality of life on earth.
The Honorable Marion Blakey, President and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association, recognized the Harrison’s achievements for aviation.
“As WATF chair, Stan Harrison, with Doris Ann’s support and encouragement, presided over one of the most challenging periods in air travel,” he said. “I could start ticking off a lot of things: the Potomac TRACON; more efficient U.S. Customs/TSA operations at the airports; the blueprint for the rail project; the coordination of local, state, and the Airports Authority to improve the 18-mile loop of roads around Dulles; and support for the opening of that spectacular new Udvar-Hazy Center. But I think perhaps the biggest challenge that Stan faced was the trying times right after the attacks of September 11th.
“We all know that Reagan National was the last airport to reopen and the details and timetable were very much in question because of its proximity to the Nation’s Capital,” Blakely said. “Stan and the Task Force worked effectively, quietly, but with huge conviction behind the scenes to show to those who had reason to evaluate the risk, and to our political authorities, that closure of the airport did nothing to really help the D.C. area become more secure and safe, and as a result of that process the airport reopened.”
Mark Lowham, senior vice president with West Group, gave a community perspective on the honorees.
“Stan and Doris have touched people throughout the United States," he said. "From Presque Isle and Jackson Hole, to Washington and Winchester, you begin to see a pattern. Wherever Stan and Doris go, wherever they’ve landed, they’ve made a tremendous difference in the community, and their efforts on behalf of the WATF are no exception. I am reminded of Churchill’s remarks that we make a living by what we get, but we make a life out of what we give. Stan and Doris have certainly made a life which defies the short number of decades they’ve been with us in Northern Virginia.”
Stan and Doris Harrison reside in Winchester where they have strong connections to Shenandoah University. After retiring from the defense industry, Stan Harrison became dean of Shenandoah University’s Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business (Byrd School), where he led a major expansion that has attracted students from many countries. His educational work has earned many distinguished honors, including the title of dean emeritus from Shenandoah University and two honorary professorships from universities in China. The building in which the Byrd School is housed, Halpin-Harrison Hall, is named in honor of the Halpin and Harrison families.
Doris Harrison’s philanthropic interests include the Children's Museum in Winchester; Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., where she supports a student from Liberia; the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business at Shenandoah University; and Shenandoah Conservatory, where she established the Doris Ann Powell Harrison Chair in piano. She served as a trustee on Shenandoah University’s board of trustees, where she served as chair of its Nominating Committee.
Former recipients are of the Williams Trophy include Carrington Williams; The Honorable John Glenn; The Honorable Elizabeth H. Dole and The Honorable Linwood Holton; The Honorable Rodney Slater and the United States International Aviation Negotiating Team; Lt. General Thomas H. Miller, USMC (ret.); Frederick W. Smith; James A. Wilding; General John R. Dailey, USMC (ret.); The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta; The Honorable Marion Blakey; The Honorable Frank R. Wolf; and Jacques Barrot, Jeffrey Shane, Daniel Calleja John Byerly and their supporting staffs.
The Washington Airports Task Force is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) Virginia Corporation dedicated to promoting the expansion and enhancement of aviation services for Virginia and the National Capital region. |
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 The 2008 Williams Trophy was presented to SU Trustees Stan and Doris Ann Harrison during the Washington Airports Task Force’s Annual General Meeting on Nov. 25 at the Hyatt Dulles in Herndon, Va. The Harrisons are flanked by the Honorable Marion Blakey (left) and by WATF Chairman David Whitestone (right).
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