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Fred Harry (Engr ’99) was drawn to UVA from the get-go. His father, Dr. Frederick P. Harry, Sr. (Engr ’73), was an alumnus and an avid Cavaliers fan, and he passed on that passion to his son—along with a strong academic bent. A valedictorian at his high school in Petersburg, Virginia, Fred earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering.
“My brother was an academic, to say the least,” said Fred’s younger brother, Nate. “He probably would have stayed in school forever if he could have. My father was the same way—they loved learning. And UVA being a higher echelon academic school and in-state, it was a perfect match for Fred.”
This love of learning and spirited support of the University prompted friends and family to create the Frederick P. Harry, Jr. Memorial Bicentennial Scholarship in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. This commitment included an anchor gift from AdvanSix (formerly Honeywell), where Fred worked until his death in 2022.
In 2020, the University committed to matching gifts to the Bicentennial Scholarship Fund, which has created more than 600 new endowed scholarships like this one, which aims to benefit exceptional chemical engineering students from the Tri-Cities area of Virginia—students like Fred.
“Fred was a diehard Wahoo,” said his wife, Amber. “He loved every minute he spent at UVA—from life on Grounds and the challenging curriculum to all the football tailgates and sporting events. Fred bled blue and orange.” His longtime friend Melissa Nelson (Col ’99) echoed this sentiment. “Fred absolutely embodied everything that UVA stands for and was just so positive, hardworking, and one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever known.”
While Fred’s love for UVA is well documented, he also took great pride in hosting UVA football tailgates. It was during his college summers spent on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, along with brother Nate and numerous hometown friends, that, while working at a local Tex-Mex restaurant, Fred honed the culinary skills that would eventually turn him into a Wahoo tailgater extraordinaire in his post-college years, emailing friends before every home game with menu ideas that went far beyond hamburgers and hot dogs and featured the frying of just about anything, low country boils, and charcuterie plates.
“If there’s an indelible image of Fred in my mind—and there are a lot of them—one would be Fred wearing a UVA apron, cutting stuff up and getting the grill going before the game,” longtime friend Tucker Martin said. “He’d have this big smile on his face, and everybody was welcome.”
Middle Left: Tucker Martin, Fred Harry, and Tom Lamoureux; Middle Right: Melissa Nelson and Fred Harry at a UVA v. Virginia Tech game in 2021; Bottom Left: Tom Lamoureux and Fred Harry “frying everything” at the UVA v. Miami game in November 2014; Bottom Right: Melissa Nelson and Fred Harry on the Lawn for Final Exercises in 1999.
Fred went on to pursue a graduate degree at LSU, also in chemical engineering, then returned to Virginia to work at Honeywell’s Hopewell plant, which is now owned by AdvanSix, a diversified chemistry company. He began his career there as a production and process engineer and worked his way up to become plant manager. He enjoyed mentoring new engineers and was a champion for the development of the AdvanSix Supporting Women in Manufacturing employee resource group.
“I think people at AdvanSix would tell you that Fred made that plant go,” said Nate. “He was just a tremendous leader—in his professional life and his personal life. If you wanted something done, he’d figure out a way to help you get it done.”
Erin Kane, president and CEO of AdvanSix, also emphasized Fred’s positive impact on the company and its employees. “Fred was not only a valued colleague but a wonderful friend and mentor to so many who followed in his footsteps,” she said. “Every member of the AdvanSix team who had the honor and pleasure of working with him had tremendous respect for his resilience, optimism, and authentic leadership.”
Left: Fred’s son Jackson, a member of the Cavaliers Marching Band, and Amber Harry; Right: Nate and Amber Harry.
After Fred’s death, Nate, Tucker, and several other friends spearheaded the effort to create the scholarship that bears his name—though they had no experience navigating the fundraising landscape.
“As we were trying to get the first big thing done after he passed,” Nate said, “it dawned on us that Fred could have done this with his eyes closed, and there we all were, floundering. It was a moment of levity. But he left his mark, and that allowed us to pick up the slack and make it happen.”
Last year, the friends launched their first annual fundraiser to add to the scholarship endowment. The event raised over $4,000 through ticket sales and a silent auction that included UVA sports tickets and memorabilia (including a signed baseball from the Cavaliers’ 2023 College World Series team). The next fundraiser will take place this spring at a restaurant located near the plant where Fred worked for his entire career.
“When you think about kinds of people we need in our society, it’s a lot of Fred Harrys,” Martin said. “If you get a scholarship to UVA, you’re doing something right; hopefully knowing that will motivate these future scholarship students to be the kind of person Fred was and give back with the talents that they’ve been given.”
