HANOVER, NH —Andrew Carson Harvard died peacefully on the morning of January 16, 2019, surrounded by family and friends, following a decade long battle with Younger Age Onset Alzheimer’s. His final days were spent at the Jack Byrne Palliative and Hospice Care Center, comforted by phone messages from distant climbers and friends.

Andy was born in New Orleans on July 29, 1949. His family moved to New Haven, Connecticut where he attended Hopkins School. Many of the friendships formed there remained with him through the rest of his life. Andy’s love of water, wilderness, and the mountains were ignited by the adventures he shared as a Scout. He became an Eagle Scout at age 14 and continued to draw upon lessons of leadership, team building and mentorship throughout his life.

Andy attended Dartmouth College (1967-71). He immediately identified northern New England as “home.” He was deeply involved in the Dartmouth Outing Club, and was excited to join classmates and peers in the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club to build and expand their climbing skills. Andy was elected president of the Mountaineering Club in 1970 and was among a small group of Dartmouth climbers who traveled to Peru to participate in a relief mission in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. Following this, they went to Bolivia to scale 20,892-foot Illampu and 19,974-foot Huayna Potosi. Andy and his close friend Todd Thompson were the first recipients of Dartmouth’s Ledyard Medal.

Andy was involved in major Himalayan expeditions in Nepal, India and China. These included; Dhaulagiri, Nanda Devi, Minya Konka, and three separate expeditions to Mount Everest, including the technically challenging East Face of Everest. Following graduation, Andy worked as a Timber Management Contractor for the USFS in Vermont, an oilfield roughneck in Prudhoe Bay, and a river guide who cofounded the first river rafting company in Nepal.

Andy studied law at Boston University and earned his JD in 1979. His career included: Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington (1979-83), Senior Attorney and Litigation Counsel for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (1984-86), and many years in international agro-business as Director, Senior Vice President for Strategic Development, and General Counsel for Eridania Beghin-Say America, Inc. Andy was the co-founding partner of Arcturus Motion Picture Company, which produced the award-winning documentary Everest: The Mystery of Mallory and Irvine (1987). Andy was made a National Fellow of the prestigious Explorer’s Club and served on the Board of the American Alpine Club (1979-1992). He was a member of the Sterling College Board of Trustees.

Andy’s publications include Mountain of Storms: The American Expeditions to Dhaulagiri , co-authored with Todd Thomson in 1974, “The Forgotten Face of Everest” (National Geographic, July 1984), and other climbing articles. He returned to Hanover in 2004 as Director of Outdoor Programs, grateful for the opportunity to mentor generations of future leaders, as he had been. Andy was particularly proud of the successful student-led construction of the Cabin of the Class of 1966 Lodge, formerly Harris Cabin, which was accomplished with his support.

As a direct result of his undiagnosed illness, Andy was forcibly retired from Dartmouth College in 2008. Since that time he has participated in several awareness-raising events to increase understanding and support for the fight to end Alzheimer’s. For two years in a row he has been the leader of Team Andy in the Upper Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s. He is also the inspiration behind The Final Climb, a documentary nearing completion about challenge, inspiration, and hope in ending Alzheimer’s.

Andy is predeceased by parents Anne and B. Marvin Harvard and esteemed older brother Stephen Harvard. He leaves behind his loving wife and caregiver, Kathy; sons Graham (Denver, CO) James (Manchester, NH), and Nicholas (UNH freshman) and daughter Allegra (Chicago School of Art), and nieces Shelagh and Kate Harvard.

]]>