Calvin Tracy Harrington

Published 10:36 am Thursday, April 27, 2017

Calvin Tracy Harrington

April 22, 2017

Calvin Tracy Harrington passed away on April 22, 2017, in Tallahassee, Florida, at the age of 74, after complications from a fall.  Tracy’s love of learning and travel, his strong sense of fair play, and his joie de vivre, made a lasting impact on his family and wide network of friends; and he will be dearly missed by those who knew him.

Tracy is survived by his children Matt, Luke (Margaret), and Megan Duncan (Brian); his grandchildren Ben, Georgia, Paul, and Jack; and eight nieces and nephews.  Tracy was preceded in death by Judy, his wife of 50 years; his parents, Ben and Sallie Harrington; his brothers Ben Jr. and Nick; and his sister Jessie Burnett.

After graduating from Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, and earning a degree in sociology from Washington and Lee University in 1965, Tracy moved his family to Africa, where he and Judy taught English at a Tanzanian secondary school.  After earning a Ph.D  from Florida State University in the 1970’s, Tracy returned with his family to Africa, this time as a professor at the University of Zambia.  Tracy later was a pioneer in the field of international education as Director for International Programs at Murray State University and Valdosta State University, where he internationalized the campuses and established a number of faculty and student exchange programs.  At his retirement in 2005, the Board of Trustees of Georgia’s state university system honored his contributions by announcing the creation of a state-wide award named after Tracy, which would recognize each year the person who does the most to advance international education in Georgia.

Tracy retired to Bainbridge, Georgia, in 2005, where he and Judy turned their three-acre home into a virtual botanical garden and fruit orchard. Tracy loved cultivating roses, especially old garden varieties, and, until recently, enjoyed volunteering once a week at Goodwood Gardens in Tallahassee.

A memorial service for Tracy will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2.  All are welcome.  Memorial donations may be made to Big Bend Hospice or Goodwood Gardens in Tallahassee.   Tracy’s family would like to thank the nursing staff and caretakers at St. Augustine Plantation, Tapestry, and Big Bend Hospice for their attentive care.