ANDY’S STORY

Andy lived by a simple
but powerful creed

Nothing is impossible

Whether climbing in the world’s highest mountains, inspiring the next generation of adventurers or finding a way to chart his own journey with Younger Onset Alzheimer’s disease, Andy believed that, together, we can tackle the most daunting challenges and, together, we will prevail.

Childhood
Born in 1949, Andy grew up in New Haven, CT and, aged 14, became the state’s youngest Eagle Scout. He graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of 1971. It was at Dartmouth, and especially the Dartmouth Outing Club, where Andy added a love of climbing to his passion for the wilderness.

He joined the Dartmouth Outing club and, while still in college, took part in a number of climbing expeditions as well as relief missions in Bolivia and Peru.

Expedition Leader
After graduating from Dartmouth, Andy was variously an expedition leader or teammate on several major peaks, a river guide in the US and Nepal, a timber management contractor/logger, an oilfield roughneck in Alaska and co-author of a book about one of his expeditions.

Business & Legal Career
After completing law school, Andy practiced law in the Office of the Attorney General, Washington State, joined the Federal Reserve of NY, co-founded Arcturus Motion Picture Company which specialized in mountaineering exploration and adventure before pursuing a business career in international agro-business. Over these years he led or participated in more than a dozen climbing expeditions in North and South America, Nepal, Tibet, China and India.

Back to Dartmouth
In 2004, Andy returned to Dartmouth, eager to mentor the next generation of young leaders as the Director of Outdoor Programs.

Alzheimer’s
Sadly, his tenure at Dartmouth was cut short in 2008 and in 2009 he was discovered to be suffering the effects of Younger Onset Alzheimer’s disease. Faced with a daunting challenge, he would ask “How can we overcome it,” rather than “Why me?” 

Andy and his wife, Kathy, became extremely active in the Alzheimer’s community and, after he passed, Kathy and Andy’s friends have continued this work, in particular helping to kickstart the forthcoming PBS documentary Defeating Dementia, and a scientific research non-profit, the 10,000 Brains Project. Learn more about this work here.

Andy’s Legacy
Throughout his life, Andy inspired others. He continues to do so through the hard work and dedication of his friends and family who have come together to carry forward his work, in particular through the Andy Harvard Leadership Initiative (AHLI),

Andy is survived by his wife, Kathy, and four children and a large circle of friends.