MCC Daily Tribune
In Loving Memory and Tribute
In observance of the recent passing of Professor Emeritus Dr. Derek Harrison, the English/Philosophy Department invites our fellow MCC faculty and friends to help honor his life-long legacy of philanthropy and advocacy.
As a continuation of his commitment to those most in need, we are hosting a D.W.I.G.H.T. Faculty & Friends Food Drive in an effort mitigate the impact of recent SNAP benefit and other support cuts. Any department wishing to participate is warmly encouraged to do so!
Simply contact the ENG/PHL office (585-292-2027) before Nov. 20, and we will come pick up your contribution. All collected items will then be delivered to D.W.I.G.H.T, in Derek’s name.
While all donations are welcome, key preferences/needs have been identified in coordination with D.W.I.G.H.T.:
- Can openers
- Soups
- Cereals
- Fruit - canned or fresh
- Pasta
- Pasta sauce
- Apple sauce
- Canned vegetables
- Peanut better
- Spices – salt, pepper, cinnamon, hot sauce, etc.
TIPS: Carefully consider items that require the addition of eggs, milk, butter, or other perishables. Gluten-free options always appreciated. Veggies such as black beans, green beans, chickpeas, and spinach provide a helpful source of protein. Toilet paper and care items are also options.
A Word document of the Faculty & Friends Food Drive flier to share with your department is available upon request: Heather Williams (hwilliams@monroecc.edu).
On behalf of the English and Philosophy Department, thank you so much for your consideration and support.
For those who did not have the opportunity to know Derek, and wish to understand our motivation better, we offer the following:
Dr. Derek Harrison was by every measure an extraordinary individual who moved through the world as a vigorous intellectual, indefatigable philanthropist, and beloved friend.
Derek first joined Monroe Community College as an English professor but soon returned to study, earning his PhD in Philosophy. He then spent the majority of his career educating students not only at MCC but St. John Fisher, as well.
He remained active throughout his career, participating in numerous campus efforts and initiatives, all while continuing to publish such articles as “The Gods of Spinoza & Teilhard de Chardin” for Philosophy Now in 2015. Even after retirement and moving out of state, he stayed in contact with faculty who he’d mentored during their early careers.
However, it was often Derek’s efforts outside of academic life that proved most impactful. Being an intensely committed student of humanity and dedicated community member, his philanthropy included such efforts as working side by side migrant farmhands at local orchards to serving on Rochester’s Melia House Advisory Board.
The details of Derek’s decades of compassionate service are impossible to list, but as friend and colleague Prof. Judi Salsburg summarized, he “could always be counted on to speak truth where it was needed. He was a devoted activist for peace and justice, and a committed advocate for the poor. He spent many of his college breaks as a hospice volunteer in Haiti and would travel to places around the world to serve the dying.” As likely to pick up his treasured guitar to sing with friends as he was to finish their home carpentry project, “Derek was clever, compassionate, creative, and so much more. The world, and MCC, is a better place for the life he spent well.”
He, and the impact he had on so many, will be deeply and sincerely missed.
Heather Williams
English and Philosophy
11/06/2025