Goodbye Harry!!

Harry Kullijian died this week, one day before his 92nd birthday.

The name Harry Kullijian may not mean much to a lot of people in New Hampshire but his wife is a household name and has been for nearly 65 years.

Mrs. Kullijian is Carol Channing, the legendary star of stage, screen and television. She is a three-time Tony winner, the recipient of 10 Gold records, a Golden Globe winner, and an Oscar nominee. She is especially known for the role of Lorelei Lee in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in which she introduced the standard, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Carol played the title role in the musical classic, “Hello Dolly” more than 5,000 times, never missing a performance, even as she battled ovarian cancer.

Carol and Harry attended junior high school together in the early years of the 1930s and then went their separate ways, never to meet again until nearly 70 years later – in 2003 after the publication of Carol’s memoir in which she mused about the “one that got away.” Harry, a widower at the time, contacted Carol and they were wed in 2003.

During the intervening years while Carol found worldwide fame and success, Harry enjoyed a long and happy marriage that produced two children, fought in two years (World War II and Korea) and built an amazingly successful business.

In 2007, Carol and Harry visited Concord for the first time and fell in love with the city and its inhabitants. The duo came to Concord at my instigation to do a benefit performance at the . Within five minutes, I felt as though I’d known the pair all of my life.

They stayed at the , dined at the inn’s restaurant as well as at the , where they also raved about the cuisine.

During their four days in town, they ran us ragged during a heat wave which saw temperatures hovering in the 90s. They barely broke a sweat.

We visited all of the sites and they were especially impressed with the where they not only attended a class but actively joined in with the children.

At the , Carol and Harry shunned the elevator, preferring to walk upstairs to say hello to and Susan Lynch.

The governor was enchanted with the Kullijians and invited them to return the next day to greet the Executive Council and visit the Senate and House chambers.

In a wonderful show of bipartisanship, the Democratic Channing sang at all three stops the next day accompanied by two Republicans – and Susan Emerson – who gamely and enthusiastically shared the spotlight.

Everywhere we went the pair greeted locals and remarked on how friendly and welcoming everyone was.

When they returned in 2008 to perform at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, although they were staying in the Port City, they insisted on visiting Concord once again.

“I could see Carol and me retiring one day and coming to live in Concord and loving every minute of it," the then 88 year old Harry remarked to me. Carol was a mere 87 at the time.

They didn’t retire, however. Instead they began a foundation to help keep the arts in the schools.

There were also many performances. I especially recall the look of pride on Harry’s face in 2007 while watching his wife perform before 20,000 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl.

Two weeks before his sudden passing, Harry called to say hello and to tell me about some upcoming shows they were doing including the opening of a documentary about Carol’s career and their love affair.

Before he hung up Harry said, “You know Paul, we need to make plans in the spring to get back to New Hampshire. No shows this time, just a visit with you folks and the wonderful people that live in Concord. We miss it!”

Unfortunately that visit never happened but there is an immeasurable pleasure in knowing that the City of Concord made such a nice impression on a genuinely nice man and that everyone who was fortunate enough to meet Carol and Harry during their New Hampshire stays is all the better for it.