The Man Behind the Room

For the past 18 years, when there was a need for a group of people to meet and dialog on important work related to the Kirkhaven mission and operation, chances were the meeting was held in the Wilcox Board Room.

In 1992, when the south wing addition was built, the conservative but eloquent board room was named after one of Kirkhaven's premier pioneers-Harris Wilcox. For those who often use the Wilcox room and utter its name regularly, I thought you might appreciate a bit of history about the man behind the room.

Harris Wilcox, a prominent area businessman, internationally renowned Auctioneer and Realtor, Chairman of the Board of Harris Wilcox Inc, a generous benefactor of Charitable, Civic and Youth Organizations and a lifelong devotee to American Agriculture, was born in Bergen, NY on 1919 and recently passed away in July 2010.

Mr. Wilcox was a devoted Christian and member of the Bergen Presbyterian Church who lived his life in direct relationship to his faith. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kirkhaven from 1980-1985, the period of Kirkhaven's initial start-up and development. A time of both challenges and opportunities that might never have been navigated successfully had it not been for the unique style incorporating knowledge, energy, humor, stamina, and the "larger than life" presence that defined Harris Wilcox.

When I first met Mr. Wilcox, I was a 27 year-old, still "wet behind the ears" Director of Finance. I was in awe of the man and his gentle, yet determined, command of every encounter. His kindness and chivalry stood out among all others in the room and when he spoke, people would hang on his every word. His command of the English language, his tact, his decisiveness rarely left an inkling of doubt that if Harris was behind a project, the project would get done.

I remember the trials and tribulations Kirkhaven encountered with respect to the initial funding requirements of our H.U.D. financing program. The head bureaucrat at H.U.D. was a woman named Helen Moore, who dragged us through every regulation, code & rule she could find before we finally received project approval. The tactful, yet humorous, gentleman that Harris Wilcox was, could not resist taking a parting shot at the mortgage closing when he declared with much pride and determination, " We give thanks for this blessed day, for Lord knows we have been through hell-an-more".

As I sat through the funeral of Mr. Wilcox, I could not help but to reminisce about how far Kirkhaven has come since those early start-up days. Slowly we are losing the great pioneers, like Philip B. Price and Harris Wilcox, whose vision and dedication have led us to where we are today. But although these pioneers are gone, their memories and the lessons they taught us remain as a gift for all of us to carry forward.

My wish is that each of us will remember and respect the "presence" of Harris Wilcox whenever we sit in the Wilcox Room. The presence of a gentleman.......the authority of a born leader. Mr. Wilcox had it right when he would say, "Chivalry is not extinct" and "We have a Great God and a Wonderful Savior".

Thank you Harris for all you have given Kirkhaven. "Well done Thou Good and Faithful Servant".