Dr. William "Ashley" Harrison
April 26, 1933 - September 1, 2024 (age 91)
Ashley was born in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 1933, the eldest child of Kenneth and Margaret (Outhit) Harrison. He attended Kentville schools from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and graduated from Kings County Academy where he won the Governor General’s Medal in 1951. He participated in Cubs and Boy Scouts and attended the Scout Jamboree in Ottawa in 1949.
Ashley was a graduate of Acadia University with a B.Sc. (Honours) in 1955. He went on to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario where he earned his Master’s degree and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1960. Following two years as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at Oxford University in England, he joined Dominion Rubber in Guelph, Ontario, which became Uniroyal Chemical and later Crompton during his long career. He was fascinated by computers and the application of computing to his work. He continued to work part time for Crompton on database projects after his formal retirement.
Dr. Harrison’s many scientific contributions to the development of new agriculture and pharmaceutical chemicals have resulted in 30 patents and a number of publications. He was a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and the American Chemical Society.
Ashley was a voracious reader on diverse subjects. He continued to read technical literature into his late eighties. He was a serious fan of classic films, their stars and their history.
From his youth, Ashley was a baseball fan of the Kentville Wildcats of the old Halifax and District League. Even though he lived in Ontario for many decades, he went to the Kentville Wildcats games in the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League whenever he was on vacation in Nova Scotia. After his return to Kentville in 2009, he followed the Wildcats and regularly attended their home games at Memorial Park.
When he was no longer able to live independently, he resided in Port Williams with Paula and Eric Morine. Their care during those years is especially appreciated by Ashley’s siblings. Dr. Marion Cornish provided exceptional care.
There will be no visitation or funeral service. A private burial will take place in the family plot in Elm Grove Cemetery, Steam Mill. Arrangements have been entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Kentville.