PUBLISHER'S VIEWPOINT
May 2007
A Full Life, Well-Lived

My friend Harrison Holman died March 26. He was one of the most gracious, most knowledgeable, most giving people ever to grace this industry. He was also a great businessman, who created products thousands of operators will use this very day.

The Holman family was carpenters, millwrights and machinists. The first Holman emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1775. When Harrison's grandfather's saw mill in Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, burned in 1912, Harrison's father, the ninth of 10 children, emigrated to the United States to find work. By the time Joseph Harrison Holman III was born in '18, his parents were living in Malden, Mass. Harrison's father was a master carpenter and furniture maker whose work graced many late Victorian and Arts & Crafts homes in the Boston area.

The mid- and late '30s were a tough time for Harrison. His father and older brother died. His mother and the remaining six children needed his support. He went to work for the Waterman Pen Co., Star Market, and then, during World War II, Raytheon.

"Harrison helped create this industry. We'll miss him."

In '46, he went to work for Market Forge Co. Under the tutelage of Leo Beckwith and Frank Creelman, he prospered there until '78, when he retired as executive vice president. During that time he promoted the benefits of steam cooking to thousands. With his friends Chet Litman from Koch Refrigeration, Don Follett of The Follett Co., Stan Campion of Syracuse China and many more, Harrison helped build NAFEM during the '50s and '60s. Harrison served as NAFEM's president in '67.

In '78, life converged on Harrison again. His wife Prudence was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. To be with her, he resigned from Market Forge after 33 years. At the same time, his son Jay moved back to New England. Harrison and Jay decided to go into business together. They bought a sheet metal business in Saco, Maine, bought a conveyor cooking line from Don Follett, called the business The Holman Group and proceeded to almost go bankrupt.

But they didn't. As Russ Bellrose, one of the first employees and now owner of Belleco Co., remembers, Harrison developed two small finishing ovens and a conveyor toaster. Several chains bought the ovens and the company landed several large Federal government contracts for the toaster. Then Ground Round bought the toaster and Dunkin' Donuts bought a variation of the finishing oven. The company prospered. Harrison kept working until he finally sold the business to Star Manufacturing a few years ago.

I met Harrison in '82 and visited him for years in Saco. I got to know his second wife Barbara, his daughter Joanne and all the folks the worked with him over the years. He taught me a great deal about the history of the industry and how you could be a great business person while being an even greater person. He had a full life and helped create this industry. We'll miss him.

Cheers,

Robin Ashton
Publisher