MANHATTAN, N.Y. and ISLESFORD – Alison M. Harrison died on April 15, 2005, at the age of 62 after a long and valiant battle against Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on Feb. 17, 1943, in Leeds, England to Muriel (nee Fletcher) and Frank Pullan. At age 12, she attended Ackworth, a Quaker boarding school in Yorkshire. In 1960, she met Malcolm Harrrison, a PhD student at Leeds University. They married on Feb. 3, 1962, in Leeds, England. In September of 1962, Malcolm left England to take a post-doctoral position at MIT. Alison stayed behind to deliver their first child, Joanne Louise. At the age of 19, with a three-week old baby in tow, Alison flew to the United States and rejoined her husband in Cambridge, Mass. She would remain in the United States for the rest of her life, returning to England on occasion to visit her mother, her beloved Auntie Madge, other family and close friends. In 1964, after the birth of their son, Simon Charles, they moved from Cambridge to New York City where Malcolm had accepted a position at New York University’s Courant Institute. Their third and youngest child, Eve Danielle was born in 1965. Alison chose to work at home raising their three children. She developed some very close friendships during this time and truly enjoyed this period of her life. After all three children were in school, Alison returned to school herself, obtaining a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Psychology from New York University, continuing on at the Washington Square Institute to become a licensed psychoanalyst. Summers were spent traveling and exploring. In 1974, the family discovered Islesford, an island in Maine that would become for her a special place. Dividing the year between family and friends at Islesford, and New York, where her son had made his home, and where she had her growing clinical practice became a way of life which she loved and considered to be almost perfect. She found great rewards in her work, working with people and helping them through difficult times. Some of her patients were suffering from the relatively new AIDS epidemic. She had an amazing ability to understand people- often saying odd, surprising, and even shocking things to people that proved to be just the right thing to say at just the right time. She was a voracious reader and did the New York Times crossword puzzle in pen. Living in a multicultural city was a good fit for this student of life. When she traveled abroad, her remarkable ability to communicate bridged all language barriers. She also loved spending time on Islesford, sailing with her husband, drinking tea and reading on her deck, gathering with friends, and staying connected with her daughters, who had made Islesford their home. Both in New York and Islesford, Alison was well known for her finesse in entertaining. She was a superb cook, a gracious host, and her warmth and brightness was a joy to be around. Unfortunately, this idyllic existence proved impossible and was cut cruelly short by the early onset of Alzheimer’s by the age of 54. Over the next eight years, this dreadful disease slowly and steadily took away her ability to work, to read, to cook, to write, to walk, to see, and ultimately, to live. Her courage was resolute. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Malcolm Harrison; three children, Eve Harrison of Islesford and Trenton, Simon Harrison of Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Joanne Thormann of Islesford and Northeast Harbor. Additionally, she is survived by four grandchildren, Curtis, Jamie and Rebecca Thormann and Colin Harrison. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held this summer on Islesford at a date to be determined later. She felt very strongly about the fight against Alzheimer’s disease both for herself and for others. Accordingly, in lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association in her memory would be greatly appreciated.
ALISON M. HARRISON
