Jack Rand Harned

1932 - 2024

Jack R. Harned passed away February 28, 2024, Age 91. Beloved husband of Eileen (nee Sullivan). Dearest father of Bettina (John) Routh. Loving grandfather of Maxwell, Annaliesa, and Caroline. He was preceded in death by brother Dr. Gerald L. Harned, and in addition, survived by many nieces and nephews. Harned was a senior partner at AutoCom Associates public relations agency in Bloomfield Hills, MI after a 35-year career in public relations at General Motors. At GM, he held responsibilities for international programs based in Detroit and for European public relations based in London and Brussels. He also managed GM automotive and environmental news media relations in Detroit and Washington, D. C. He served as corporate communications director for GM Hughes Electronics Corporation and public relations manager at GM's former AC Electronics Division, which included work on the public relations team for NASA's Apollo program. Prior to his GM career, Harned was a newspaper reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Wisconsin, and press secretary to U.S. Senator William Proxmire in Washington, D. C. He served on the boards of The Society of Professional Journalists, Detroit Chapter; The Public Relations Society of America, Detroit Chapter; The Detroit Association of Phi Beta Kappa, The Cultural Council of Birmingham/Bloomfield, and was a trustee of The National Automotive History Collection. Harned was a graduate of The University of Wisconsin, Madison, and lived with his wife in Bloomfield Hills. A private family memorial will be celebrated at a later date. Memorial contributions are appreciated to: The Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan. To contribute, email to: MIMEDTributes@umich.edu