Denton St. Clair Harewood was born on December 26, 1929 to Reuben Augustus Harewood and Maletha (Mattie) Harewood nee Morgan who immigrated to American shores from the Caribbean island of Barbados, West Indies. Denton was the youngest of three brothers. Denton's siblings were Radcliffe (oldest) and Donald Harewood.
Denton attended New York Vocational HS and later obtained a GED due to his high schools very poor educational offering's to African American students in the 1940's. Being an avid life long learner Denton graduated with a BS in business marketing and economics from Empire State College while in his early 60's.
Denton was well known to friends and family as a "jack of all trades" and pursued self-employed business interests such as shoe shine boy, photographer,electronics teacher/repairman, jazz musician, carpenter, computer repairman, notary public and desktop publisher. His interests also encompassed science, politics, black history studies, private investigation, fishing, wedding cake baking and jewelry casting. Denton's greatest passion however was in being a classically trained jazz pianist. Throughout his life, Denton created several small jazz bands which he also performed with in various night clubs and events. because of his great lo9ve for jazz as an African American and uniquely American art form Denton ultimately created and aired a bi-weekly public access non-profit jazz program he dubbed "Jazz Bytes" in 1982. He dedicated this jazz program to the filming and promotion of up and coming jazz performance artists and for the re-acquaintance of current generations with past or little remembered jazz professionals and "greats" that he had occasion to know. Denton considered it the most fortunate honor to have called jazz great trumpeter Adolphus "doc" Cheatham, professional jazz pianist Jimmy Sigler and professional composer/arranger/trumpeter Herbie Jones all personal friends that he also performed with on occasion.
Denton maintained a life time passion and dedication to legal studies becoming a career employee for over 30 years at the New York City Bureau of Consumer Affairs where he helped enforce consumer law throughout New York City. He eventually retired from the bureau as an inspector. Soon after this retirement Denton persued a brief second career with the federal government for about 7 years working with the US treasury department's Customs division offering his services to Customs employees as an EEO counselor. throughout his life Denton often expressed a burgeoning desire to attend law school and become a practicing attorney. Just prior to his passing, even while a resident of Lott residence assisted living facility, Denton began to research in earnest how to continue his education and obtain a Master's degree in law at the age of 81.
There is so much more to Denton's very full life, it cannot all be told here. What can be said in conclusion is that he was not only a wonderful and beloved father to his children but a beloved mentor and tremendous inspiration to his grand and great grandchildren and any other young person he had occasion to meet that demonstrated positive and lofty goals. Any one who knew Denton well also knew that he was one of the most kind, intelligent and lovely human beings who demonstrated an exceptional combination of wonderful attributes which easily out-shined any flaws. He will be forever missed by any who knew and loved him.
Denton is survived by his two sons Roland Edward and Wesley Nathaniel Williams from a first marriage to Zelma Williams and by his daughter Cheryl Yvonne Harewood-Kiai through a second marriage to Evelyn Harewood nee Hodge along with two grandchildren Jared and Aaron Williams and great grandchild Tony Witherspoon.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.8.18