‘Father of Lakewood,’ who pushed for incorporation, remembered for service, community
Retired Army Lt. Gen. William “Bill” Harrison, who advocated for the city of Lakewood’s incorporation and served as its first mayor, has died at 91.
Some credit Harrison with being the “Father of Lakewood,” a nickname Harrison found hard to accept, instead crediting the Lakewood residents and other early framers of the city for making incorporation possible, Mayor Jason Whalen told The News Tribune on Tuesday. All flags at city facilities were lowered to half-staff in honor of Harrison for several days last week.
Harrison served as mayor from 1995 through 2003, completing his service on the City Council in 2005. A three-star general at the end of his career, Harrison served 37 years in the Army and was the 53rd commander at Fort Lewis, according to an obituary published by the city of Lakewood. After retiring from the Army, Harrison settled with his family in Lakewood in 1993.
When he retired from public office, Harrison remained active in the community, volunteering his time and attending nearly every memorial for fallen military service members where he’d offer a final salute, according to the city.
Harrison was awarded emeritus mayoral status from the city of Lakewood, and in 2015 the new Harrison Preparatory School was named in his honor. JBLM inducted Harrison into its Hall of Fame and named the new headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division Harrison Hall.
Whalen said he didn’t know Harrison as well as others but remembers Harrison serving as a “willing mentor” to him early on in his public-service career, remaining a friend and colleague throughout the years.
“He spearheaded the effort to establish the initial Municipal Code and our initial council policies,” Whalen said. “I think that Bill Harrison was uniquely qualified to do that because of the significant leadership in the military and his significant connections within the community that he called home. If not for Bill Harrison, and some of the other early leaders, we would not have been able to make as much progress as we have to date.”
Helen McGovern-Pilant, who co-chaired an effort to make Lakewood a city prior to Harrison, said Harrison’s leadership, role as a team player and strong military background carried a lot of weight in ushering support for incorporation in the 1990s.
“Coming in as a general, to lead the incorporation, to be the first mayor, his ego was not at all involved in developing the city,” said McGovern-Pilant, who knew him professionally and personally for almost 30 years. “It was what all the citizens had wanted. It was what those committees had come together to say.”
McGovern-Pilant said she remembers people standing in long lines at Harrison’s 90th and 80th birthday parties “to be able to just spend a moment with him.” Harrison was always checking in with people, inquiring about their families and celebrating their accomplishments, she said.
“Bill just dealt with so much adversity in his life, and with the passing of his son and his wife and then all the hundreds of people who he led who perished,” she said. “He dealt with so much adversity in his life, and the difficult part about his health at the end of his life. It just didn’t take away that gleam in his eye or that spark or his ability to be concerned about other people.”
In his time in the military, Harrison served back-to-back tours in Vietnam as the sector and regimental advisor in II Corps, earning the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star and a Combat Infantryman Badge. He was also awarded the Order of National Security Merit Cheonsu Medal by the Republic of South Korea, earned the Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge and received Korean and Canadian parachutist badges, according to the city.
Harrison was later briefer for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commanded the Seventh Infantry Division and assembled the Army’s first light infantry division. He also was the commanding general for I Corps and Fort Lewis from 1987 to 1989 and commanded the Sixth United States Army from 1989 to 1991, according to the city’s obituary.
This story was originally published February 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
