To the Bowdoin community,

I am sorry to inform you that Harry K. Warren, 85, died Saturday night at his home in Brunswick.

Harry, who was surrounded by family when he passed away, devoted more than three decades of service to Bowdoin. He began at the College as assistant director and then as director of the Moulton Union (1965-1990), director of career counseling and placement/career services (1972-1990), coordinator of summer programs (1969-76), secretary of the board of overseers (1986-1994), and secretary of the College (1991-1997). He cherished his personal connections to generations of Bowdoin students and their families and to alumni, faculty, and staff; his warmth and genuine concern for the welfare of others earned him a special place in the hearts of the Bowdoin family. The very mention of Harry’s name on campus—no surname needed—provoked a smile and the memory of one or more of his unheralded acts of kindness.

Harry was born on January 3, 1931, in Philadelphia, and graduated from Swarthmore High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1952. A gifted athlete and natural leader, he was captain of Penn’s 1951 varsity football team that competed on the national stage against teams from the University of California, Wisconsin, Army, and Navy. He married Judith Dickson, his high school sweetheart, on August 30, 1952.

Immediately after graduating from Penn, Harry launched a career with the IBM Corporation, starting in its Philadelphia sales office. After a brief tour of duty with the US Navy from 1955-57, he held sales and management positions with IBM in Chester, PA, Hartford, CT, Providence, RI, White Plains, NY, and Concord, NH. The Warrens came to Brunswick in 1965, and Harry was hired by Don Lancaster ’27 as assistant director of the Moulton Union. He soon acquired other titles and responsibilities at the College. He expanded and professionalized the career counseling and placement office, and he established Young Alumni Advisory committees in several cities across the country. As secretary of the college, Harry gave his personal touch to tens of thousands of gift acknowledgement letters, and for many years he wrote “The Whispering Pines” newsletter to keep alumni up to date on life at Bowdoin. 

Harry and Judy welcomed international students into their home during vacations, and on more than one occasion Harry shuttled students to the airport to make sure that they made their flights home. Beginning in the early 1990s, Harry and Judy “adopted” the women’s hockey program. They made a point of meeting players and inviting them in small groups for dinner in the Warren home. Harry and Judy also invited the parents of players who had traveled a long distance to see a game to be their overnight guests. 

One would be hard-pressed to find better ambassadors of the College than the Warrens. In fact, when President Bob Edwards was unable to accompany the football team to Ireland for an exhibition game against Tufts, Harry was asked to represent the College. A knowledgeable and loyal fan of Bowdoin athletics, Harry volunteered as a track official (1966-2012) and as the clock and scoreboard operator at home hockey (1971-1996) and football games (1986-1995). He had a special bond with the members of Psi Upsilon Fraternity, and he served as an advisor and past president and director of the fraternity house corporation.

One of the letters in support of his nomination for the 1989 Alumni Award for Faculty and Staff summed it up nicely: “…he has not received much public recognition. He hasn’t sought it—that’s one of his endearing qualities—but he certainly deserves it.” Harry accepted that award, and the honors that followed, with characteristic modesty and grace. He became secretary of the board of overseers emeritus in 1995. The Warren Dining Room in the Moulton Union was named in his honor in 1997. Upon his retirement that same year, the board of trustees voted him emeritus status as director of Moulton Union, director of career counseling and placement/career services, and secretary of the college. In 1998 the Alumni Council established the Harry K. Warren Trophy for the two reunion classes achieving the highest level of participation in the Alumni Fund.  

Harry was active in the local community as well. He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where he served on the vestry and as a junior warden, and he was for many years a lay reader in Brunswick and Richmond. For fifteen years he served as a corporator and trustee of Brunswick Savings Institution and Coastal Saving Bank. For the Town of Brunswick, he served on the Citizens Advisory Committee, as secretary of the Civil Service Commission, and as vice-chairman of the Town Charter Committee. He also served as a corporator of Regional Memorial Hospital, on the board of United Way, and was a board member and past president of Independence Association, a nonprofit organization serving children and adults with disabilities. In his retirement, he volunteered with the eldercare organization Neighbors, Inc., the Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention Program, and as a polling-place worker on election days.

Memorial arrangements are pending and will be conveyed to the Bowdoin community when they become available.

I know each of you joins me in extending the deep condolences of a grateful College to Judy, Harry’s wife of nearly sixty-four years; sons Douglas M. Warren (Pamela Berry) and David D. Warren (Janet); daughter Susan K. Warren-Hanley (Joseph); five grandchildren; his sister, Helen C. Warren; and his brother, George P. Warren Jr. 

Our community is saddened by his passing, but we celebrate Harry’s remarkable life and spirit and are so appreciative of his contributions and devotion to Bowdoin over these many years.

Sincerely,

Clayton Rose