Obituary of Robert Walker Harrison III

ROCHESTER, NY – May 3, 2023 Dr. Harrison III was born October 13, 1941 in Natchez, MS. He is the son of the late Robert Walker Harrison Jr. DDS and the late Charlotte Estella (Mackel) Harrison. He married Gayle Johnson. Dr. Robert Harrison's commitment to excellence resulted in academic appointments as Professor of Medicine, Director Endocrinology/Metabolism at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Professor of Medicine and the Chief of the Endocrine Unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center. In addition to being recognized for his work with glucocorticoid receptors, he was a productive biomedical researcher with grant support from the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His scholarship resulted in over fifty peer-reviewed publications, review articles and book chapters. As an active member of the National Medical Association (NMA), he also served as a consultant to the NMA Project I.M.P.A.C.T. to increase minority participation in clinical trials. Although his academic medical center affiliations ended in 2001, he was ahead of his time, when he established an online weight loss program called Beeslender. Later he became an expert witness in endocrinology for a Washington, D.C law firm. He continued to be involved and was recruited to provide clinical care at the Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, New York. Dr. Bob fully retired in 2013, but his involvement in civic, community, and transformative activities did not end. Among his activities included the Rochester Chapters of the Black Physicians Network, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Gamma Iota Boule, Mississippi Club, the Forrest Knights Jazz Listening Group and he was the founder and originator of the McRibs Book Club. He was appointed as an inaugural member of the City of Rochester's Police Accountability Board. While Dr Harrison was a disciplined and dedicated academic, his first love and priority was his family. He cherished his wife of thirty-eight years, Gayle Harrison, Ph.D., two sons Robert IV "Bobby," and William "Seth," eight granddaughters Jasmine, Charlotte Rose, Isabella, Taylor, Julia, Peyton, Willow, & Jayda. He loved taking his granddaughters to get hamburgers and malted shakes. Dr. Bob is survived by three sisters Charlotte Harrison Baker, (Newport, VA; partner, William H. Harvey), Kathleen J. Harrison and Pamela A. Harrison (Atlanta, GA) three generations of nieces, nephews and numerous cousins, all of whom loved and respected him as a loving, fun-loving, brilliant human being. He was predeceased by his parents and a niece. He is loved & will be cherished forever. Friends may call Wednesday, May 31 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Baber A.M.E. Church, 550 Meigs Street, Rochester, NY. Fraternity Services will be held during the wake. The Funeral Service to Celebrate his Life will immediately follow at 12:00 Noon. A second service will be held on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at Robert D. Mackel and Sons Funeral Home, 300 N. Dr. ML King Jr. Street, Natchez, MS. Interment Natchez City Cemetery, Natchez, MS.