The Tocqueville Society of the River Region United Way proudly recognizes
Laura and Barrie Harmon, III
as the 2016 recipients for their dedication, compassion and
lifetime of philanthropy to our community.
The recipients of this year’s Tocqueville Society Award are highly respected and accomplished members of the River Region’s philanthropic leadership, embodying a commitment to improving the quality of life for all.
When it comes to trying to make our community a better place, the River Region would be hard-pressed to find two people more committed than Laura and Barrie Harmon, III. Their efforts are recognized as both tangible in impact and significant in scope to the community as a whole.
From a Legacy of Volunteering and Helping Others
Laura and Barrie Harmon both had a modest upbringing in Montgomery, and attended Montgomery public schools. Barrie is a graduate of the University of Alabama, and Laura graduated from Wesleyan College. Though they had several mutual friends, they had never met, despite their friends often trying to set them up together.
Fate intervened in the guise of a chance meeting at the A&P. They met in line at the grocery store and struck up a conversation after Barrie glanced at Laura’s name on her checkbook. Now they’ve been married for nearly 36 years.
Barrie is president of Harmon Dennis Bradshaw, a highly regarded insurance brokerage and risk management company in Montgomery. A self-made man, Barrie founded The Harmon Company in 1977. After forming a partnership with David Dennis and Charles Bradshaw, the new Harmon Dennis Bradshaw, Inc. was established in 2003.
Laura has a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology. While living in Macon, Georgia, Laura mentored children in a juvenile detention center, as well as volunteering in the prison system. Upon her return to Montgomery, she spent 10 years teaching in public and private schools.
Laura and Barrie attribute their philanthropic principles to their Christian values and upbringing at Trinity Presbyterian Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church, respectively.
Both grew up in very loving families and learned the value of giving back at an early age. Laura’s mother served as PTA president, homeroom chairman, leader of Girl Scouts Troop 1 at Bear Elementary – of which Laura was a troop member – Tri-Y and more, until she passed away from breast cancer at the young age of 46. Volunteering and helping others was also important to Barrie’s mother, who lived to be 54, and who he describes as a devoted volunteer – very involved with the Junior League, as a pink lady at Jackson Hospital, like Laura’s mother, and very involved in church.
Laura and Barrie believe that giving sets an example and creates a legacy. They have often been inspired by others who have set examples before them – Red Blount and John Caddell, among others.
“I think we, personally, give back because it’s the right thing to do,” Laura said. “It’s what we’ve done all our lives. From church to community, our parents did it. And we’ve always just done it.”
Giving Back to Their Community
Volunteerism and helping others is woven into the very fabric of Laura’s and Barrie’s lives. Both are passionate about the arts – Laura worked to organize the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ first Picnic in the Park, known today as the Flimp Festival. Laura previously served on the board of trustees for the MMFA, and Barrie is a current trustee and past president. Laura has volunteered with the Jackson Hospital Foundation to place original artwork throughout the hospital, promoting the healing nature of art. Barrie was honored by the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts with the Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award for his lifetime support of the arts.
It is a challenge to list everything the Harmons do or have done for our community. Barrie serves on the executive committee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region, the executive board of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the board of directors of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, and is a board member and past president of the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts. Laura serves as a member and past board chair of the Jackson Hospital Foundation, is a current board member of the Central Alabama Community Foundation, and helped co-found the Dogs on Call program, which trains therapy dogs.
As described by friend and fellow Tocqueville Society member, Laurie Jean Weil, “Laura and Barrie are profoundly admired for their focus on others, their courage and their embrace of life. When they lost their beloved daughter, Stephanie, in a tragic car accident, Laura and Barrie responded, not with bitterness or anger, nor did they retreat in grief to lead insular lives. Rather, they responded by living their love and honoring Stephanie’s memory, by leading and serving this community in highly effective, enduring and endearing ways.”
The Harmons became strong advocates for anti-DUI legislation, and Laura became a state coordinator for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Thanks in part to the Harmons’ efforts, in 2012 Alabama became the 50th state to pass legislation supporting the use of ignition interlock devices on cars of DUI offenders. Nationally, the use of these devices decreased the number of DUI-related deaths by 27% over a seven-year period.
A Lifetime of Advocacy and Philanthropy
The Harmons have long been valued supporters of the River Region United Way. The couple served as co-chairs of the Tocqueville Society in 2011-12, and during their leadership expanded the Society’s membership from 43 to 91 members. In 2012, Tocqueville Society membership contributed $1.2 million to the campaign – 23% of the total funds raised that year.
The couple is involved with several United Way affiliate agencies, including the Family Sunshine Center, Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region and Brantwood Children’s Home.
“I think the United Way is an opportunity to reach those agencies in the Montgomery area that don’t get a lot of support, or don’t have the recognition or the resources to do the job,” Barrie explained. “And collectively, all of these agencies that come together under the United Way umbrella make a big impact. I feel like, by being a part of the Tocqueville Society and being a part of United Way, we can touch a lot of bases by our efforts here.”
Laura and Barrie have always approached their community work and their philanthropic endeavors as a team, working together and encouraging each other, as they do in all aspects of their lives. The couple’s contributions and advocacy efforts have led to them being honored by several local organizations. They were recipients of the River Region United Way’s 2012 Jean and Adolph “Bucks” Weil Jr. Award, the March of Dimes 2013 River Region Citizen of the Year Award, and Booker T. Washington Magnet High School’s 2016 FAME Award for outstanding community service, just to name a few.
Despite all of the contributions they’ve made to the community, the Harmons don’t see their achievements as extraordinary. In their minds, they’re just doing what should be done. When asked about their being selected by their peers as the recipients of the Tocqueville Society Award, they immediately responded that it’s not about them, as individuals, but about the Tocqueville Society, collectively.
For their modesty, their generosity and their unwavering dedication to our community, we are pleased to recognize Laura and Barrie Harmon, III, with the 2016 Tocqueville Society Award of the River Region United Way.
With special thanks to the following individuals for their contributions in preparing this piece: Joan B. Loeb, Laurie Jean Weil, DVM, Janet McQueen and Cynthia Milledge.
