Harry James McBee
May 13, 1955 - -March 13, 2018
In loving memory Harry James McBee May 13 1955- March 13 2018
Harry was born in Mineola, New York to an Italian mother and a Scotch-Irish Native American father after his brother Joe, his sister Martha, and his twin Dennis. They had a poor but rich in love extended Italian family. Growing up in Port Washington he learned many of the values that he carried throughout his life… to be selfless, to treat everyone with respect, that your word is sacred, that any work is valuable if it is honest work.
He was shaped by the events of his time. When he was 16 there was a huge rash of drug overdoses in his town, and the desire to help propelled him into what would become his career and passion- working with young people. He started out as a drug counselor and youth street outreach worker at Port Alert, then worked on their crisis intervention phone hotline.
Love and the thirst for a challenge brought him to SanFrancisco in 1978 where he worked as a security guard at MacAteer High School. He completed his BA in psychology at Antioch College in San Francisco, taught psychology and ran a peer counseling program at MacAteer through SF Peer Resources. He co-founded the Youthline, a phone crisis intervention program through SF Suicide Prevention. He was a popular and always provocative speaker at state and national youth service conferences, and was proud to always be on the side of youth. He passionately cared about kids, and worked fiercely to advocate for them.
As a teacher he didn’t teach students what to think, he challenged them to think for themselves. During these great years in San Francisco he enjoyed the Grateful Dead, Willie Nelson, Golden Gate Park and the cliffs off Ocean Beach, Santa Cruz, sushi at Ebisu and the folks in the neighborhood of 9th Avenue and Judah, and the love and comradery of so many friends, colleagues, and hotline volunteers who he always held close to his heart- Eric Wortman, Dawn Amini, Lisa Peterson, Carla Dykes, Gita Baidwan, Kelly Rzany, Kevin Preston, , Esteban Burchard, Dave Clark, Patty Jiron, Kim Soibelman, Jill Johnson, Dina Hemmeter, Robin Simonsen (Bruggeman), Sandy Cisneros, Crystal (Bostwick) and Noe Cisneros, Leah McDonough, Jen Uldricks, Tania Riss, Audre Hallum, Lou Garrett Sr., Tom Eisenman, and Ron Lehmer.
When the programs closed Harry worked with Xanthos in Alameda, then in 2003 Harry and his partner Tana moved to Eureka, California, where he found a new passion- ceramic sculpture. His brief run as an artist was so much fun for him, it gave him such joy to see the smiles on kids’ faces as they delighted in his magickal creatures. His clay creations are now scattered across the globe, reminding us of the fun and joy in life, reminding us to celebrate the whimsical, the magickal, the Light.
Among his heroes were Che Guevara, Leonard Peltier, Bobby Kennedy, his brother Joe, his mother Adelina and his father Joseph Fred (who despite having their own hard childhoods became such loving and devoted parents), and the teachers he had who inspired, challenged and most of all believed in him.
Harry’s sense of justice was one of the strongest aspects of who he was.
He lost jobs because he wouldn’t compromise his values. He never stole a single thing in his entire life. He wouldn’t complain in a restaurant because he cared more about the waitress having a decent shift than his getting a decent meal. Even during years of unemployment he generously supported organizations like Amnesty International, Alley Cat Allies, Center for Victims of Torture, Native American Rights Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, and others.
Harry devoted the later years of his life to Love… and after 25 years together Tana and Harry got married on August 21st 2017, the Solar Eclipse!
Harry felt blessed to be a positive part of so many young peoples’ lives… at MacAteer, Alta, School of the Arts, Port Alert, Xanthos, Youthline. He had so many fond memories and crazy stories from his times at Mac, and so many hopes and prayers that all you kids grew up to be happy and healthy. Harry taught all of us who were blessed to know him. The last few years of his life he faced incredible health challenges. His mother had told him “God only gives us as much as we can handle…” and he owned it. Harry was unimaginably strong and loving in his dying , as he was in his living. He leaves behind his brokenhearted love of 25 years Tana, his beloved adored sister Martha, his hero big brother Joe, his forever friend and love Nancy Luby, and his beautiful nephews Joe and Tony and great-nephew Sage and lovely great-niece Calypso.
It was his wish to be cremated, and his ashes shall be scattered in the places where he lived and loved… Port Washington, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Humboldt County.
Harry was ready. He liked to quote his Lakota brothers “Hanta Yo, Huka Hey (Clear the way, I am not afraid), It is a Good Day to Die.” And he left this world the passionate, brave, and beautiful man he always was. Fare Thee Well My Love…See you in that diner in the sky.