Toronto Star Obituary
Published in the Toronto Star October 11, 2014.
Online version here.
GRANT HARRIS Died October 4, 2014 at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital surrounded by his children Anne and Thom, Thom's wife Jillian and his brothers, Brian and Paul. Predeceased by Emily, his beloved wife of 40 years, on February 11, 2014. Grant suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on Friday, September 26, 2014, just after returning home from an enjoyable camping trip with old friends. Born in Barrie, October 2, 1950, while his father was stationed at Camp Borden, Grant was always a top student as a boy. Grant attended University of Toronto and obtained his PhD in Psychology at McMaster in 1980. Grant spent most of his career as a researcher and psychologist at a Penetanguishene mental health facility (now styled as Waypoint Centre). He was a highly accomplished scientist, with more than 230 publications and the development of risk assessment instruments. In 1997, he and his research colleagues were honoured with the Amethyst Award for Excellence in the Ontario Public Service. Grant's extraordinary loyalty, wit and acumen allowed him to help many in the pursuit of their goals. Grant was dedicated to truth, scientific knowledge and the protection of those less able to protect themselves. A man of profound integrity and bravery, his gifts of love, guidance and mentorship will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. His generosity was exemplified by his gift of organ donation. We thank the team of ICU doctors, nurses and other caregivers at Royal Victoria Hospital (Barrie), Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital and Trillium Gift of Life for their care and support. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada or Wendat Community Programs of Midland, Ontario would be appreciated. For memorial service information as it becomes available, please visit grantharrismemorial.weebly.com.
Online version here.
GRANT HARRIS Died October 4, 2014 at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital surrounded by his children Anne and Thom, Thom's wife Jillian and his brothers, Brian and Paul. Predeceased by Emily, his beloved wife of 40 years, on February 11, 2014. Grant suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on Friday, September 26, 2014, just after returning home from an enjoyable camping trip with old friends. Born in Barrie, October 2, 1950, while his father was stationed at Camp Borden, Grant was always a top student as a boy. Grant attended University of Toronto and obtained his PhD in Psychology at McMaster in 1980. Grant spent most of his career as a researcher and psychologist at a Penetanguishene mental health facility (now styled as Waypoint Centre). He was a highly accomplished scientist, with more than 230 publications and the development of risk assessment instruments. In 1997, he and his research colleagues were honoured with the Amethyst Award for Excellence in the Ontario Public Service. Grant's extraordinary loyalty, wit and acumen allowed him to help many in the pursuit of their goals. Grant was dedicated to truth, scientific knowledge and the protection of those less able to protect themselves. A man of profound integrity and bravery, his gifts of love, guidance and mentorship will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. His generosity was exemplified by his gift of organ donation. We thank the team of ICU doctors, nurses and other caregivers at Royal Victoria Hospital (Barrie), Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital and Trillium Gift of Life for their care and support. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada or Wendat Community Programs of Midland, Ontario would be appreciated. For memorial service information as it becomes available, please visit grantharrismemorial.weebly.com.
Tribute by Vernon Quinsey for professional (ATSA) newsletter
Back in 74, I was looking for someone to fill a one-year contract on a research grant. There were a number of applications but one from a recent graduate from the University of Toronto caught my eye. There was a problem, however, the applicant stated that he was a member of the Young Conservatives. I dithered about whether I should interview a person with such reactionary inclinations until another member of our team rightly pointed out that fairness required an interview.
The interviewee turned up spectacularly bearded and clad entirely in denim. Clearly, he would fit in! I found out much later that the applicant, Grant Harris, had signed up with the Young Conservatives in a vain attempt to woo a girl who was already a member of this nefarious organization and had thought that his membership in it would give him a leg up when applying for a provincial government job. Grant’s “membership” in the young conservatives would remain a standing joke for the rest of his life—to my continuing enjoyment.
I soon discovered that Grant’s scientific acumen was razor sharp; in fact I had never met anyone with intellectual abilities superior to his. Grant was later accepted by McMaster University where he studied memory but at the time he graduated, there were few academic jobs in his somewhat arcane specialty. Shortly before his graduation, however, I had engineered a position in the Psychology Department at Oak Ridge and encouraged him to apply.
Grant was first a psychologist heavily involved in designing and implementing behaviorally oriented treatment programs at the maximum security Oak Ridge Division of the Mental Health Centre, Penetanguishene. A few years later, he joined the Research Department, ultimately becoming its Director in 2002 upon the semi-retirement of Marnie Rice (who had succeeded me as Director).
Being smarter and better informed than most, Grant often found himself explaining things. Sometimes, however, he misjudged his listeners and explained things to them that they already knew. His friends therefore teased him about his “keen grasp of the obvious”.
Grant did indeed have a keen grasp of the nature of scientific inquiry. He understood that science is able to inform advocacy but not the reverse. The business of science is to accurately understand the world as it is—scientists ought rigorously to attempt to falsify theories, not to support cherished ideas. He observed that the mixing of empirical inquiry with advocacy typically results in an intellectual muddle that supports the status quo or passing fads.
Because of this understanding, he accurately detected and despised cant, defined both as “hypocritical and sanctimonious talk, typically of a moral, religious, or political nature”, and as “denoting temporarily fashionable phrases or catchwords”. This trait did not endear him to those bureaucrats and clinicians who dispensed it, particularly because Grant was outspoken and fiercely protective of his scientific program. Grant also understood that applied science or engineering (in which one attempts to optimize some desired result) could sometimes yield theoretical insights. Indeed, the creative use of the results of applied science to evaluate basic scientific theories was his greatest strength.
As everybody in the business knows, Grant was a supremely successful scientist. He had 231 publications, many of them heavily cited. ResearchGate, for example, calculates his scientific reputation among its members as at the 98th percentile. At the time of his death, Grant was awaiting the galley proofs of his magnum opus: Harris, G.T., Rice, M.E., Quinsey, V.L., & Cormier, C. (2015). Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk, 3rd edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Grant was a big guy with a proportionately sized heart and brain. He was proud of and close to his children, Anne and Thom, and his wife Emily. Sadly, Emily predeceased Grant by some eight months. Grant was also proud of his Research Department team—he was a patient mentor and a bureaucratic protector who fostered an academic-type atmosphere in the department and knew how to get the best out of his staff.
Grant always loved athletics. He lifted weights, cycle-toured, canoed, played tennis, rowed, and practiced Goju-Ryu karate. In his later years he became an avid fisherman. Grant was also an experienced camper. For more than thirty consecutive years, Grant, his friend, George Varney, and I went on a yearly camping trip. These trips became somewhat less strenuous and adventurous over the years. Sadly, within less than an hour of returning from our last trip, Grant had a major stroke. It is at least some comfort to think that Grant would have chosen to spend his last days fishing a beautiful autumn river.
A well-lived life cut too short.
The interviewee turned up spectacularly bearded and clad entirely in denim. Clearly, he would fit in! I found out much later that the applicant, Grant Harris, had signed up with the Young Conservatives in a vain attempt to woo a girl who was already a member of this nefarious organization and had thought that his membership in it would give him a leg up when applying for a provincial government job. Grant’s “membership” in the young conservatives would remain a standing joke for the rest of his life—to my continuing enjoyment.
I soon discovered that Grant’s scientific acumen was razor sharp; in fact I had never met anyone with intellectual abilities superior to his. Grant was later accepted by McMaster University where he studied memory but at the time he graduated, there were few academic jobs in his somewhat arcane specialty. Shortly before his graduation, however, I had engineered a position in the Psychology Department at Oak Ridge and encouraged him to apply.
Grant was first a psychologist heavily involved in designing and implementing behaviorally oriented treatment programs at the maximum security Oak Ridge Division of the Mental Health Centre, Penetanguishene. A few years later, he joined the Research Department, ultimately becoming its Director in 2002 upon the semi-retirement of Marnie Rice (who had succeeded me as Director).
Being smarter and better informed than most, Grant often found himself explaining things. Sometimes, however, he misjudged his listeners and explained things to them that they already knew. His friends therefore teased him about his “keen grasp of the obvious”.
Grant did indeed have a keen grasp of the nature of scientific inquiry. He understood that science is able to inform advocacy but not the reverse. The business of science is to accurately understand the world as it is—scientists ought rigorously to attempt to falsify theories, not to support cherished ideas. He observed that the mixing of empirical inquiry with advocacy typically results in an intellectual muddle that supports the status quo or passing fads.
Because of this understanding, he accurately detected and despised cant, defined both as “hypocritical and sanctimonious talk, typically of a moral, religious, or political nature”, and as “denoting temporarily fashionable phrases or catchwords”. This trait did not endear him to those bureaucrats and clinicians who dispensed it, particularly because Grant was outspoken and fiercely protective of his scientific program. Grant also understood that applied science or engineering (in which one attempts to optimize some desired result) could sometimes yield theoretical insights. Indeed, the creative use of the results of applied science to evaluate basic scientific theories was his greatest strength.
As everybody in the business knows, Grant was a supremely successful scientist. He had 231 publications, many of them heavily cited. ResearchGate, for example, calculates his scientific reputation among its members as at the 98th percentile. At the time of his death, Grant was awaiting the galley proofs of his magnum opus: Harris, G.T., Rice, M.E., Quinsey, V.L., & Cormier, C. (2015). Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk, 3rd edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Grant was a big guy with a proportionately sized heart and brain. He was proud of and close to his children, Anne and Thom, and his wife Emily. Sadly, Emily predeceased Grant by some eight months. Grant was also proud of his Research Department team—he was a patient mentor and a bureaucratic protector who fostered an academic-type atmosphere in the department and knew how to get the best out of his staff.
Grant always loved athletics. He lifted weights, cycle-toured, canoed, played tennis, rowed, and practiced Goju-Ryu karate. In his later years he became an avid fisherman. Grant was also an experienced camper. For more than thirty consecutive years, Grant, his friend, George Varney, and I went on a yearly camping trip. These trips became somewhat less strenuous and adventurous over the years. Sadly, within less than an hour of returning from our last trip, Grant had a major stroke. It is at least some comfort to think that Grant would have chosen to spend his last days fishing a beautiful autumn river.
A well-lived life cut too short.
Notice written by Martin Lalumière and Michael Seto for fellow editorial board members for the journals Archives of Sexual Behavior and Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment
Long time reviewer and Editorial Board member Grant Harris passed away on October 4 at the age of 64. He suffered a sudden and massive stroke a week before. Grant was a member and then Director of the Research Department at the Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre (now Waypoint Mental Health Centre) for 35 years. He is well known for his contributions to forensic psychology and sexology, especially his work on the prediction of violent behaviour among mentally disordered offenders and sex offenders. His most recent book ‘Violent Offenders (3rd edition)’ is about to be released by the American Psychological Association.
Grant was a very close friend and colleague of ours. We will miss his infectious sense of humour and his sharp wit. He was brilliant, unfailingly honest, and deeply committed to the truth. He loved his work, loved his friends and family, and loved life, and as a result he made everyone around him happier. We are feeling a great loss.
Grant was a very close friend and colleague of ours. We will miss his infectious sense of humour and his sharp wit. He was brilliant, unfailingly honest, and deeply committed to the truth. He loved his work, loved his friends and family, and loved life, and as a result he made everyone around him happier. We are feeling a great loss.
Waypoint Bulletin: The Legacy of Dr. Grant Harris
October 10, 2014.
Grant Harris was a respected colleague, mentor, and friend to many of us at Waypoint. He began working here over 40 years ago and worked in both clinical and research capacities. Among his many contributions to the hospital, he provided some of the earliest behavioural treatment programs for our patients, he studied medication effectiveness to enable greater efficiency of pharmacological therapies, he was a developer of the Crisis Intervention training course that ran here for 20 years, and he studied patient and client needs which facilitated a clinical reorganization in the 1990s. Dr. Harris was also a driving force behind the implementation and evaluation of services for people with concurrent disorders at Waypoint.
Grant Harris has been called a giant in the field of forensic psychology, receiving numerous awards and honours. He is best known for developing and testing actuarial risk assessments such as the VRAG, SORAG, VRAG-R and the ODARA, which are now used on six continents and translated into several languages.
Dr. Grant Harris died on Saturday October 4, 2014 and will be deeply missed. He was well known at Waypoint for his tireless advocacy for the use of empirical science to benefit patients, clients, staff, and the mental health system. In his honour, we commit to advocating tirelessly towards these ends.
As psychologists and psychometrists, we commit to enhancing Waypoint's clinical services by:
. Analyzing needs using empirically supported assessments and methods
. Providing evidence-based interventions for individuals, groups, and systems
. Evaluating treatment effectiveness and implementation
. Creating new knowledge, skills, and tools to support collaborative practice
Laura Ball, Chuck Bennett, Linda Cooper, Catherine Cormier, Sonja Dey, Michelle Green, Elke Ham, Teale Heittola, Zoe Hilton, Debb Hogg, Abhilash Jayachandran, Matt Keating, Liam Marshall, Shari McKee, Marnie Rice, Larry Silk, Nick West, and Jolene Wintermute
Grant Harris was a respected colleague, mentor, and friend to many of us at Waypoint. He began working here over 40 years ago and worked in both clinical and research capacities. Among his many contributions to the hospital, he provided some of the earliest behavioural treatment programs for our patients, he studied medication effectiveness to enable greater efficiency of pharmacological therapies, he was a developer of the Crisis Intervention training course that ran here for 20 years, and he studied patient and client needs which facilitated a clinical reorganization in the 1990s. Dr. Harris was also a driving force behind the implementation and evaluation of services for people with concurrent disorders at Waypoint.
Grant Harris has been called a giant in the field of forensic psychology, receiving numerous awards and honours. He is best known for developing and testing actuarial risk assessments such as the VRAG, SORAG, VRAG-R and the ODARA, which are now used on six continents and translated into several languages.
Dr. Grant Harris died on Saturday October 4, 2014 and will be deeply missed. He was well known at Waypoint for his tireless advocacy for the use of empirical science to benefit patients, clients, staff, and the mental health system. In his honour, we commit to advocating tirelessly towards these ends.
As psychologists and psychometrists, we commit to enhancing Waypoint's clinical services by:
. Analyzing needs using empirically supported assessments and methods
. Providing evidence-based interventions for individuals, groups, and systems
. Evaluating treatment effectiveness and implementation
. Creating new knowledge, skills, and tools to support collaborative practice
Laura Ball, Chuck Bennett, Linda Cooper, Catherine Cormier, Sonja Dey, Michelle Green, Elke Ham, Teale Heittola, Zoe Hilton, Debb Hogg, Abhilash Jayachandran, Matt Keating, Liam Marshall, Shari McKee, Marnie Rice, Larry Silk, Nick West, and Jolene Wintermute