Robert D. Harris Jr.

Robert D. Harris Jr.

NORTH CANAAN — Robert D. Harris, Jr., age 76, died at home on August 3, 2022. He was born in North Canaan, graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, and received his BA from the University of Connecticut in 1967. After serving in the Army in Vietnam, Bob worked for the State of Connecticut his entire career, retiring as the Director of the Office of Fiscal Analysis in 2001. He continued his service to the state on the State Library Board and the Capitol Preservation Board throughout his retirement. Bob enjoyed collecting art and antiques, but is best known for his life-long love of reading and books. In his later years he greatly enjoyed meeting authors at signing events and book festivals.

Bob was generous, thoughtful, and funny. He loved to gift books to people, especially when he knew of their interests or hobbies. He also loved chewing gum. Bob is survived by his loving husband and partner of almost 40 years, Father Michael F. Ray, retired pastor of St. Thomas’s in New Haven, his daughters Debra (Ryan) and C. Catherine Ray, sons Phillip (Laurie) and Daniel (Hui), grandchildren Anuhea and Evan, and his sister Patricia Harris Glennon.

Bob was a great lover of animals, especially dogs, and was preceded in death by his beloved rescue greyhound Oberon. A memorial will be planned at the convenience of the family. If you knew Bob, you know he rarely threw anything away including the copious paperwork from the many charities he supported. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice, as it’s likely one he supported. To send condolences to his family, please see obituary at www.beecherandbennett.com.

Latest News

Bobbie C. Palmer

LAKEVILLE ­— Bobbie C. Palmer, born in Lakeville on Jan. 13, 1948, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife, Marva J. Palmer, son Marc (Sandra) Palmer, daughter Erica (Fleming) Wilson, two grandchildren, Andrew Yost and Ciara Wilson, and two great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Walter and Francis Palmer and four brothers; Henry Palmer, William Palmer, John Palmer and Walter Palmer Jr.

He leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and laughter that will be cherished by his family and those closest to him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Finding ‘The Right Stuff’ for a documentary

Tom Wolfe

Film still from “Radical Wolfe” courtesy of Kino Lorber

If you’ve ever wondered how retrospective documentaries are made, with their dazzling compilation of still images and rare footage spliced between contemporary interviews, The Moviehouse in Millerton, New York, offered a behind-the-scenes peek into how “the sausage is made” with a screening of director Richard Dewey’s biographical film “Radical Wolfe” on Saturday, March 2.

Coinciding with the late Tom Wolfe’s birthday, “Radical Wolfe,” now available to view on Netflix, is the first feature-length documentary to explore the life and career of the enigmatic Southern satirist, city-dwelling sartorial icon and pioneer of New Journalism — a subjective, lyrical style of long-form nonfiction that made Wolfe a celebrity in the pages of Esquire and vaulted him to the top of the best-seller lists with his drug-culture chronicle “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” and his first novel, “The Bonfire of The Vanities.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Art on view this March

“Untitled” by Maureen Dougherty

New Risen

While there are area galleries that have closed for the season, waiting to emerge with programming when the spring truly springs up, there are still plenty of art exhibitions worth seeking out this March.

At Geary Contemporary in Millerton, founded by Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, Will Hutnick’s “Satellite” is a collection of medium- and large-scale acrylic on canvas abstracts that introduce mixtures of wax pastel, sand and colored pencil to create topographical-like changes in texture. Silhouettes of leaves float across seismic vibration lines in the sand while a craterous moon emerges on the horizon, all like a desert planet seen through a glitching kaleidoscope. Hutnick, a resident of Sharon and director of artistic programming at The Wassaic Project in Amenia, New York, will discuss his work at Geary with New York Times art writer Laura van Straaten Saturday, March 9, at 5 p.m.

Keep ReadingShow less
Caught on Camera: Our wildlife neighbors

Clockwise from upper left: Wildlife more rarely caught by trail cameras at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies: great blue heron, river otters, a bull moose, presenter and wildlife biologist Michael Fargione, a moose cow, and a barred owl.

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

‘You don’t need to go to Africa or Yellowstone to see the real-life world of nature. There are life and death struggles in your wood lot and backyard,” said Michael Fargione, wildlife biologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, during his lecture “Caught on Camera: Our Wildlife Neighbors.”

He showed a video of two bucks recorded them displaying their antlers, then challenging each other with a clash of antlers, which ended with one buck running off. The victor stood and pawed the ground in victory.

Keep ReadingShow less