Harry P. Hatry

Harry P. Hatry, a family patriarch and pioneer of great renown in the field of performance management died peacefully on February 20th surrounded by family. Harry was born on October 12, 1930, the son of May June Hatry and William August Hatry. He leaves his beloved life partner of 35 years, Carol Lee Rubin of Annandale, VA; his big sister Patricia Hatry of New York City; a great many adoring family members; a host of friends and colleagues; as well as a world of state, local and federal employees, who will forever miss his love, friendship, counsel, wisdom and boundless energy.

Harry grew up in Woodmere, Long Island with his sister Pat and Silver, their pet cat. Harry was the original games man. His room boasted a huge chest filled with his collection of every game then available. The family of four would gather to play bridge, rent a boat in Woodmere Bay to fish for blue point crabs, or head off to the wilds of northern or eastern Long Island to the then acclaimed eateries; or later, as Pat and Harry grew, to Manhattan for a multi-course Italian dinner.

Harry kept his focus on those things that mattered most in his life. He modeled a life of simple grace and deep meaning. He was modest and modest in his pursuits, caring little for fame, fashion, or material things. He was a loyal, gentle, accepting and generous man who devoted himself to family. He showed genuine interest in each and every member of his extensive family, always asking questions and giving his full attention in conversation. You knew he had your support and well-being foremost in mind.

Harry was intensely curious about the world. He was a voracious reader and lifelong learner, relishing new experiences, ideas and cultures. Along with his partner Carol, Harry traveled far and wide and loved exploring all over the world from snorkeling tropical reefs to riding elephants in Thailand to strolling city landscapes.

This love of exploration carried over into his love of food as he and Carol enjoyed an eclectic survey of international as well as traditional cuisine in the DC area and beyond. Though Harry might savor his Vietnamese pho, two of his greatest pleasures were My-T-Fine chocolate pudding with heavy cream and a turkey leg, with second helpings most likely as a before-bed snack. Magically, Harry remained slim his entire life, despite his incredible appetite.

For entertainment, Harry was an ardent NY Yankees and Washington Commanders fan as well as a movie maven up to date on most every current release. He also enjoyed a wonderfully wide range of music spanning Broadway musicals to his best loved classical. Harry’s deep, rich voice and laugh were a pleasure to hear and were their own music to those who loved him.

His career spanned over 60 years, during which time he worked with a wide range of local state and federal agencies – internationally and nationally – to help provide them with the capacity to measure the success and failure of their efforts in such services as public safety, health, transportation, education, parks and recreation, social services, environmental protection, and economic development.

Upon his graduation with a BS in engineering from Yale University, Harry began working for a General Electric research facility first in Pittsfield, MA and then in Santa Barbara, CA. He also earned an MS from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He served for two years in the army at the White Sand Proving Grounds in New Mexico after which he became part of the then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s Whiz kids, a group which advised McNamara in his efforts to turn around the management of the Department of Defense in the 1960s.

When the Urban Institute was created in 1968, Harry became program director focusing on public management issues at local, state and federal levels, and continued to work with the Institute until a month before his death after a brief illness. In those early years, “When I spoke with people in states and localities all over the country, many hadn’t heard of the Institute, but they had heard of Harry Hatry,” recalled long-time colleague at the Urban Institute and friend Randal Bovbjerg, “He was self-effacing, intensely practical, highly collegial and was interested in a wide variety of subject areas.”

Over his career he accumulated a number of honors and awards including the American Society for Public Administration’s “Outstanding Contributor to the Literature of Management Science and Policy Science” award in 1984; the Elmer B. Staats award for excellence in program evaluation in 1985; a National Public Service Award in 1993; and the “Evaluator of the Year” award from the Washington (D.C.) Evaluators Association in 1996. In 1999, the Center for Accountability and Performance of the American Society of Public Administration established the Harry Hatry Award for Distinguished Practice in Performance Measurement.

Said the most recent recipient of that award, John Kamensky, another pioneer in performance management, “He was constantly working on new projects in a wide array of policy areas at the Urban Institute, flying across the country and around the world. Staff had a hard time keeping up with his pace – both in writing and in walking! New, young staff were awed, and sometimes terrified, of his constant questions and pressure to move faster.”

In 1980, he became a fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) where he contributed to a number of white papers and studies. “The National Academy of Public Administration is saddened to learn of Harry’s passing,” said NAPA’s executive director Terry Gerton. “He was an active Fellow for over 40 years, always willing to contribute his expertise to any project and especially supportive of our Standing Panels on the Intergovernmental System and Executive Organization and Management. Our government is better because Harry cared so much about evaluating its performance. We will miss his warm smile and his brilliant mind.”

Others in the field of performance management joined in a chorus of plaudits for Harry’s work, and his level-headed approach to a complex world. “He was a valuable and inspiring mentor to me,” said Kathryn Newcomer, professor at The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University. “For over thirty years I looked to him for guidance and practical advice. He was the Forrest Gump of performance measurement in our country - and was literally there when all key moments of importance to our field happened and he retold them to me - giving me an oral history that I treasure.”

Recalled Don Moynihan, McCourt Chair of Public Policy at Georgetown University, “Harry was an exceptionally kind and modest person despite his outsize reputation. He was always encouraging and looking to learn from others. He will be deeply missed by those of us who cared about trying to make government work better.”

Added Shelley Metzenbaum, an American nonprofit executive, academic, and former government official specializing in public sector performance management, “Harry called for increased attention to outcome measurement and management as early as the 1970’s and remained a prolific contributor to thinking and practice on this topic throughout his life, remarkably even into his 90s. We will miss Harry’s persistence and tenacity advancing good government.”

Jay Fountain, another pioneer in performance management was a colleague of Harry’s for about four decades. ”I have been fortunate to know and work with wonderful professional people all dedicated to making government more responsive to the citizens and effective in providing service, and Harry was in the forefront.”

Harry was father and a grandfather figure to many devoted family members including Lena Seville of Charlottesville, VA; Rochelle and Jack Weber of San Diego, CA; Samuel Weber of Washington, D.C.; Rosalie Weber of Los Angeles, CA; Lee Ann and Stuart Warner of Leverett, MA; Pam Nalefski of Rupert, VT; William Warner of Somerville, MA; Wyatt Warner of Mountain View, CA; Nathan Grossman of Wellington, FL; and Vika Grossman of Miami, FL.

In lieu of flowers, Harry would want each of us to live life to the fullest with humility, care, generosity and love. If you would like to make a donation in his honor, please choose a charity of your choice. A memorial service will be held later this year with information to follow.