Harold L. Enarson

ENARSON Harold L. Enarson, President Emeritus of The Ohio State University and respected national leader in higher education, died July 28, 2006, in Port Townsend, Washington after a prolonged battle with the cruel disease of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. He was eighty-seven years old. For half a century, Dr. Enarson occupied a preeminent position within higher education policy and administration. He was president of two universities--including one of the largest in the nation--during the tumultous years of social change and campus unrest in the 1960's and 1970's. Later, he shared his insights and passion for effective higher education with administrators across the nation through his writing, speeches, public service and consulting assignments. His life is a classic American story of persistence, hard work, courage, and a lot of help from family and friends. Born on an Iowa farm on May 24, 1919, Enarson was of the generation that endured the Depression, an experience that drove him forward in his personal resolve to succeed in life. His only brother and sister died of tuberculosis early in his life. Soon thereafter he and his parents, John and Hulda (Thorson) Enarson moved to New Mexico, where John also died from tuberculosis. Young Harold worked before and after high school to help his widowed mother. He graduated from Albuquerque High School, class of 1936, and was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of New Mexico. In 1940 he earned the bachelor of arts degree. Enarson valued his time at the University, was grateful for many kind mentors and made lifelong friends. But most of all he acknowledges his great good fortune in meeting a lovely young lady at a college event, Audrey Iola Pitt, another scholarship student from a cattle ranch near Crown Point, NM. He asked her to dance, and they have been dancing together ever since. Married in 1942, as a couple and as a working team, they successfully pursued dreams of family and career with enthusiasm and an optimistic outlook. That optimism never wavered, and much was achieved. They were indebted to the opportunities they enjoyed at a public university ­ a debt Enarson would soon repay with a distinguished career in higher education. Enarson worked in the US Bureau of the Budget in Washington before attending Stanford University. His studies in political science changed from academic to a traumatic and different nature during World War II. From early 1943 to his honorable discharge in early 1946 after being seriously wounded in Germany, Enarson served with distinction in the Pacific and European campaigns, receiving among other medals, the Purple Heart in 1945. For decades he did not discuss his war experiences, but in later years he was a regular participant in the reunions of his Army 342nd Infantry Regiment, the Blackhawks. After the Army and reunited with his wife and young daughter, Enarson returned to the position he had as budget examiner in the US Bureau of the Budget in Washington, DC. A skilled administrator and policy analyst, Enarson served the Steel Industry Board as its executive secretary, and he was a consultant to the National Security Resources Board, in Washington, DC. Enarson then returned to Stanford University, earning his Master of Arts degree in 1946. He taught at Stanford University and enjoyed periodic teaching throughout his career. He was called back to Washington, where he worked at the National Securities Board while also earning his Ph.D. in political science at American University in 1951. It was an exhilarating yet difficult time for Enarson and his young family, now complete at three daughters, as he served two years as labor affairs assistant on President Truman's White House staff. His papers from that period stand in the Truman Library. In 1954, intrigued by politics and utilizing his skills, he was assistant director of commerce for the City of Philadelphia, and executive secretary to the Mayor. However, Enarson really hit his stride when he became executive director of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), a regional organization created by the Western Regional Education Compact. In 1953 WICHE began its successful effort to facilitate cooperative sharing of resources between and among the higher education systems of the West. In his six years as executive director, Enarson coordinated the development of academic program opportunities for students, policy studies, and many cooperative programs between and among 13 member states and participating colleges and universities. WICHE settled on Boulder, CO as its base of operations, and Colorado became a cherished home base for the Enarson family. First came the riding horses, then the horses needed summer grazing, which led to a decision to invest in a mountain meadow, complete with a adze-hewn pioneer barn, hand dug well and rustic cabin. This served as a much needed family retreat throughout the rest of his life. Enarson's celebrated career in academic affairs began when he returned to where he had started as a scholarship student. At the University of New Mexico he was administrative vice president (1960-61) and academic vice president (1961-66). His tireless efforts on behalf of the University and the citizens of New Mexico led to, among other accomplishments, the establishment of a four-year medical school. He was instrumental in developing major Peace Corps training programs for Latin America. Years later, in 1976, Enarson was bestowed with the James F. Zimmerman Award given annually to an alumnus of the University "...who has made a significant contribution which has brought fame and honor to the University of New Mexico or the State of New Mexico." Enarson's most notable achievements were as a university president. He was a dynamic champion for public higher education, and especially for those universities founded as land-grant institutions bearing the complex mission of teaching, research, and practical application of knowledge. He once wrote: "Knowledge is inert until it is put into play by men and women with an instinct for action ­ the action of teaching in the classroom and laboratory; the action of sharing knowledge with those who need it." In 1965 he was appointed president of the newly formed Cleveland State University, where he served until 1972. There, during the intense and sometimes violent period on American university campuses, Enarson was ahead of his time, encouraging students' voices and participation. After the tragic events at Kent State University and the subsequent riots, he sought out student leaders at Cleveland State University and invited them in to talk, share his distress, and move forward. He was unremitting in his quest for support of the University and he guided its growth in facilities and curriculum and a dramatic increase in enrollment, including women and minorities. Dr. Enarson was president of The Ohio State University from 1972 to 1981. The University's ninth president, he was a tireless advocate for protecting funding for the University's academic programs and faculty during an era of state budget cuts, and he was an enthusiastic promoter of what he called the dynamism and great potential of the University. In 1981 he was named President Emeritus. At the university Enarson also held the faculty position of Professor of Public Policy and Management, and several years after his retirement he and his wife established an endowment to fund the University's Enarson Executive-in-Residence program. Enarson is remembered by some as the president who fired the popular football coach, Woody Hayes, after an unfortunate incident involving a player of an opposing team. Hayes physically struck the player, an act so flagrant that Enarson felt he had no option other than to dismiss Hayes. Years later Enarson said, "I took no joy in it then and I take no joy in it now. I'm happy to see the way in which his long-term contributions to the University and to the community are coming back into focus, as I think they should." The Harold L. Enarson Hall of Political Science stands on the Ohio State campus, honoring his enduring belief in publicly funded universities. He once wrote, "the universities are a very special kind of place. They are fragile as truth is fragile. They exist by public sufferance, and it is a marvel that the public at large supports with its dollars an institution that is independent, free standing, openly critical of the conventional wisdom, friendly to disputation, enchanted with controversy and hospitable to those who 'think otherwise.' May it always be so" Following Enarson's retirement from Ohio State, Boulder, Colorado became their home again. He embarked on challenging and rewarding work furthering the cause of public education, serving for 15 years as a senior adviser to WICHE, and as a commissioner on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. Until recently he was an active member of a special oversight committee established by the United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama, to respond to a the District Court's Title VI remedy actions related to alleged racial discrimination in Alabama universities. His lifetime of hard work was acknowledged by many college and university honorary degrees and awards, culminating in 1992 when in recognition of his outstanding leadership on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Enarson received the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges "Distinguished Service Award" as the Public Higher Education Board Member of the Year. Enarson also relished the intangible rewards of a great career and an incredible life, his "life of the mind." A voracious reader, he enjoyed trading lively, articulate and sometimes disputatious correspondence with his many friends and colleagues on all topics. He mentored younger academic administrators and earned their respect and admiration, and kept working and making new friends until only a few years ago. A private service will be held in Port Townsend. Kosec Funeral Home handled arrangements. Dr. Enarson is survived by his wife of 64 years, Audrey Pitt Enarson of Port Townsend; daughter, Merlyn Prentice and son-in-law, Geoffrey Prentice of Arlington, VA; daughter, Elaine Enarson and son-in-law, Carl Hering of Brandon, Manitoba; daughter, Lisa Enarson and son-in-law, Randy Kraxberger of Port Townsend, WA; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Condolences may be sent to: The Enarson Family c/o Gooding and O'Hara, 242 Taylor St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the scholarship established by Dr. Enarson to honor his mother as well as assist other young students as he was helped so many years ago at University of New Mexico. Please contribute in the name of: The University of New Mexico Hulda Thorson Enarson Endowed Memorial Presidential Scholarship at University of New Mexico Foundation, MSCO7 4260, One University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131.