Harry Phillips, a pioneer in executive benefits in the insurance industry whose many accomplishments included serving as a New York State Regent, being Chairman of the Board of Westchester Community College, and playing tennis and golf into his 90s, died peacefully in his sleep on August 2 at the age of 97 at Kendal on Hudson in Sleepy Hollow New York following a brief illness. Harry Phillips was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend, an exceptionally talented, energetic, generous and kind person.  His marriage of 76 years to Marjorie Hertzberg Phillips was a model of a loving relationship to his many family members and friends. 

Born on September 11, 1926, to Harry Phillips, Jr., and Edith Engel Phillips in New York City, Harry was the second of three children and was predeceased by his two siblings, Mary Frieder and Roger Phillips.  He maintained a close relationship with both his brother and sister throughout their long lives.  Harry spent most of his childhood in Woodmere, Long Island, attended Phillips Andover Academy, and graduated from Harvard College in 1948.   He served in the army in World War II.   He received his Masters Degree in Finance from The American College of Financial Services.

On June 6, 1948, Harry married Marjorie Hertzberg, and they raised three children in Hartsdale, New York:  Elizabeth, born June 17, 1949; Robert, born March 2, 1951; and William, born September 5, 1953.   One of the saddest moments in his life was losing his son Bob to cancer in 2019. 

Harry was a leader in local school and Democratic politics.  He served as PTA president, was a Democratic District Leader, participated in many committees geared toward improving the schools, and was Chairman of the Greenburgh for Stevenson campaign in 1955-56.   Harry’s commitment to Greenburgh School District 8 was partly due to the fact that in 1950, prior to the Brown vs Board of Education decision, the district had decided to implement busing to integrate the schools.  One of the achievements that Harry was most proud of was helping to facilitate a meeting between members of the school board and Frieda Schiff Warburg that resulted in Warburg donating her 150 acre estate to the school district.  This allowed for the building of Woodlands High School on the estate grounds.  Warburg, like Phillips, was impressed by the school district’s commitment to integration.  

Harry III joined the Penn Mutual Life Insurance company in 1948, following in the footsteps of his father Harry Phillips, Jr.. He became a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) in 1951. In 1955 he became one of the first with a CLU to also receive his Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. He took over a practice started by his father and invited his brother Roger to join him.  They founded H&R Phillips, Inc. in 1964 as a combined Property and Casualty and Life Insurance brokerage firm.  They later added Group Insurance and Pension Planning.  1970 was the year he became the person to talk to about Employee Benefits Planning, authoring a book of that title. Later, they became Founding Members of Management Compensation Group, Inc., specializing in qualified and non-qualified Executive Benefits and Deferred Compensation agreements. In 1976 his son Bill joined the firm and ultimately ran their Group Insurance division.  As innovators in employee benefits, the company was sold to its employees under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). In the early 2000s they merged their Life Insurance business into Winged Keel Group.  Harry held leadership positions in the industry, including the presidency of AALU.  He was a long-time member of the Yale Insurance Study group, a frequent speaker at industry events, and a mentor to numerous leaders. 

A new phase of Harry Phillips’ life began In 1989, when he was appointed as a Trustee of Westchester Community College.  In 1995, he was elected Board Chair of the college.  He took great pleasure in his work with the college and was very proud of the fine education it provided to a diverse group of students.   He continued to work with the Westchester Community College Foundation after he left the Board and actively participated in courses offered by its Collegium for Lifelong Learning.  In 2000, Harry Phillips was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents, representing the Lower Hudson Valley.  He served for three terms, until, at age 88, he decided not to pursue a 4th term.   During his fifteen years on the Board of Regents, Phillips was known as a hard-working, fair, congenial Regent who listened carefully to educators and parents. He was a critic of an overemphasis on standardized test scores and opposed linking teacher evaluation to test scores. 

Throughout his life, sports were very important to Harry.  He was an avid tennis player who was admired and loved by the members of County Tennis Club, a club he belonged to for over 60 years.   A current member described him as “the heart and soul of County during its halcyon years of the 1970s and 1980s.”  He amazed younger members by his energy, endurance, and competitive spirit, playing hours of singles in the heat in his 80s and early 90s.   As a tribute to him, one of the club tournaments was renamed The Phillips Cup many years ago, and a few years ago, Court 4 was renamed the Harry Phillips Court.   He also enjoyed playing golf, which he did up until the age of 96, getting his first hole-in-one at 89.  

Family was always very important to Harry, and he delighted in the time he spent with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, including several multi-generation family cruises.  Traveling with his wife was one of Harry’s joys.  The Phillips’ traveled the world, visiting China, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Russia, India, Holland, Italy, France, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore just to name a few.  In 2018, the Phillips’ sold their home in Hartsdale and moved to the independent living section of Kendal on Hudson. 

Harry Phillips touched so many lives in his personal, professional, and volunteer life.   In his self-published autobiography, My First Eighty Years, he wrote, “I was born an incurable optimist, which has made my life very pleasant.”  He embraced life and lived it to its fullest.   He had a tremendous amount of intellectual curiosity and was an avid reader.   One friend wrote, “I always felt happy when I was around him.”  Another commented, “He was unfailingly energetic and generous.”  He will be greatly missed by his many friends and his large family:  His loving wife Marge; his children Liz and Bill; his 8 grandchildren Sara, Jonathan, Eric, Michael, Ryan, Jocelyn, Harry, and Chelsea; and his 11 great-grandchildren: Avery, Gabriela, Charlie, Catarina, Lanah, Juliet, Zella, Colby, Griffin, Asher, and Anora.  

                                                                                            A celebration of the life of Harry Phillips III will take place on Saturday, September 7,

                                                                          at 2pm at Westchester Community College, Gateway Building, The Kathryn W & Shelby Cullom David Auditorium.