John Harmon ’68

THE BACKGROUND: Classmates John Harmon and Nancy Crotzer met at Monmouth, but they didn’t begin dating until both were placed as teachers in Schaumburg, Illinois. Nancy remained in the profession as a fourth-grade teacher, while John soon entered the up-and-coming world of computer science—spending much of his career with Kemper Insurance doing network architecture. The couple was married 51 years until Nancy died in 2021.

THE GIFT: To establish the John and Nancy Crotzer Harmon Fund, John made a blended gift—cash now and a planned gift with funds going to the educational studies’ department TARTANS program (Teachers Allied with Rural Towns and Neighborhood Schools). “With Nancy dying, my financial adviser suggested that I start distributing some of our money now,” said John. He said he and Nancy had not donated much over the years to their alma mater, so when he ultimately made a gift, he wanted it to be a significant contribution “to catch up.”

MONMOUTH RELATIONSHIPS: “Nancy really enjoyed Gracie Peterson and Jean Liedman. She really interacted with the legends of Monmouth at the time as well as with her classmates,” said John, who knew another College legend, Bobby Woll, through his participation on the track team.

A PASSION FOR TEACHING: “Nancy was a very highly regarded teacher,” said John. “In 1972 she was named the outstanding educator for our area. Her kids would ask for a hug at the end of the day. It started out with just a few kids, but then kids who weren’t even in her class were lining up for a hug. Eventually, it started throwing off the bus schedules because some of the kids were waiting still in line after school for their hug. Nancy had a real passion for her students and for teaching.”