| Graduation Year | Class of 1981 |
| Date of Passing | Jun 29, 2009 |
| About | FAIRBANKS — Joe Harshman, a former coach at North Pole and Lathrop high schools, was found dead Monday. Alaska State Troopers said in a press release that a friend found Harshman, 57, dead in the water near his cabin in Pelican, a small fishing community in Southeast Alaska, on Monday. An investigation is ongoing, the press release stated. Harshman coached the North Pole boys basketball team from the late 1970s until 1985. He coached both boys and girls basketball at Lathrop until leaving Alaska in 2005 to coach girls basketball at Kennewick (Wash.) High School. Harshman also coached the Malemutes’ baseball team during his last few years in Fairbanks. Lathrop’s current baseball coach, Sam Morton — who was his assistant from 2004-05 — said Harshman’s strong will made him stand out. “Joe was a tough guy,†Morton said. “He was very systematic. He knew how to run a practice. Everything had a reason, and you didn’t question what his reasons were.†When not leading the team, Harshman was a laid-back, funny person, Morton said. Chuck Chaffee, who was an assistant to Harshman at North Pole, agreed. “He was always fun to be around,†Chaffee said. “Whenever we traveled or the teachers got together, it was a fun time.†Monroe Catholic girls basketball coach Vince Fantazzi got his coaching start from Harshman, who had Fantazzi run North Pole’s junior varsity basketball program in 1982. “I got my feet wet under him,†Fantazzi said. “I’ll forever be grateful.†Fantazzi said his early coaching days under Harshman formed the way he coaches today. “There are still rills and clichés that I use from Joe to this day,†he said. Harshman retired from coaching a year ago, but remained with Kennewick High School as a guidance counselor. He was a teacher at North Pole and a counselor at Lathrop. “When we were on basketball trips the conversation was always on what was best for the team and was best for the students,†Chaffee said. “He was always thinking about North Pole High School and the students’ education.†Contact staff writer Joshua Armstrong at 459-7583. |
