Bill Text: SC H3781 | 2021-2022 | 124th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: William Reade Harbison
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 81-43)
Status: (Passed) 2021-02-02 - Introduced and adopted [H3781 Detail]
Download: South_Carolina-2021-H3781-Introduced.html
A HOUSE RESOLUTION
TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING OF WILLIAM READE HARBISON OF COLUMBIA, TO CELEBRATE HIS LIFE, AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were deeply saddened by the passing of William Reade Harbison of Columbia on January 24, 2021, at the age of fifty-six; and
Whereas, born November 2, 1964, in Lexington, Kentucky, he was the son of the Reverend Richard T. Harbison and the late Cornelia Bostick Harbison; and
Whereas, Will arrived in Pensacola, Florida, from Kentucky in the early 1970s as the youngest and most mischievous of the four Harbison siblings. His main childhood passion was competitive tennis. He traveled the Southeastern states with his tennis buddies and his mother to play in tennis tournaments from Miami to Birmingham, from New Orleans to Atlanta. He enjoyed winning dozens of tournaments all over the South. During middle school, Will continued playing tennis, played on the Episcopal Day School basketball team, starred in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial, and enjoyed mowing his name in the family lawn. He refined the "Eddie Haskell"-like charm that would entertain teachers and Sunday School volunteers for the next decade; and
Whereas, after graduating from high school, Will earned his bachelor's degree in history at Washington and Lee University, followed by his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1990; and
Whereas, he was a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, and friend. Will asked his wife of twenty-nine years, Liz, to marry him four months after their first date. They were married in Columbia in 1992, where they remained to raise their three children, and Will began practicing law; and
Whereas, as a father, he passed on his literary passion to his children with weekly, sometimes biweekly, visits to the Happy Bookseller, Barnes & Noble, and the Richland Library. He made sure their bedrooms were filled with books, read to them every night, and obligingly watched The Sound of Music for countless Sunday nights; and
Whereas, Will was a partner at Gallivan, White & Boyd in the Columbia office. While he was a skilled litigator for nearly thirty-five years and known for his scrappiness and determination to win, he also was considered to be honest, respectful, and fair. He continued to work throughout his aggressive cancer treatments. Above all, though, the unfailing loyalty, love, and compassion shown by his friends and other colleagues provided his greatest professional joy; and
Whereas, away from the office, Will loved playing golf with his buddies every week, followed by generous pours of Chardonnay in the locker room. He loved hearing himself talk and never let truth get in the way of a good story. His keen wit and self-deprecating sense of humor were a delight to all; and
Whereas, in addition to his mother, Will was predeceased by his brother Taylor Harbison. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Elizabeth Holman Harbison; his children, Elizabeth Reade, Rebecca Blanding, and William Wiley; his father and stepmother, Dick and Barbara Harbison; two siblings, Mark Harbison and Cornelia Hoover; and a host of other family members and friends. He will be greatly missed. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of William Reade Harbison of Columbia, celebrate his life, and extend the deepest sympathy to his family and many friends.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mrs. Elizabeth Holman Harbison for the family.
