March 15, 1942 – June 13, 2026
Fred Harris, co-founder of Saint James Place, entrepreneur, race car driver, and loving husband, died on June 13, 2026 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, after suffering a heart attack. He had been managing serious cardiac conditions for many years. He was 84.
Fred’s most enduring legacy may be Saint James Place. In 2008, St. James Episcopal Church on Great Barrington’s Main Street faced imminent demolition due to serious structural damage. Fred and his wife, Sally, committed themselves to saving the historic landmark. Through years of hard work and determination, they repurposed the 1857 gothic stone church and adjoining parish hall into a vibrant cultural center for the Berkshires.
Since opening in 2017, Saint James Place has provided a home to dozens of arts and nonprofit organizations, including The People’s Pantry. The center welcomes thousands of residents and visitors each year for performances, community programs, and cultural events. Fred considered the creation of Saint James Place to be one of the most important and rewarding endeavors of his life.
Frederick Bennett Harris was born on March 15, 1942, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to John Frederick Harris and Virginia (Seyfferle) Harris. Raised by his mother alongside his sisters, Sue and Sally, he grew up in Ohio and graduated from North High School in Columbus.
Fred’s entrepreneurial spirit emerged early. He began working as a paperboy at age ten. As a teenager, he worked at Chick’s Camera Exchange in Columbus, where he developed a lifelong love of photography. He became a photographer for both The Ohio State Lantern and The Columbus Dispatch, photographing subjects ranging from crime scenes to prominent people such as Robert Frost and Billy Graham.
After a brief stint at Ohio State University, Fred moved to New York City. He arrived with little money, lived at the YMCA, and worked three jobs, among them copy boy for the Associated Press, and computer software salesman. Recognizing the transformative potential of emerging computer technology, Fred co-founded Automated Concepts, Inc. (ACI) in 1966. He was just 24 years old. Over the next four decades at ACI, Fred led the systems integration company through years of remarkable growth, building it into a highly successful industry leader with five offices across the United States.
Intellectually curious and a lifelong learner, Fred attended Columbia University at night for more than twenty years while running his business, lamentably falling just one language credit short of an undergraduate degree in economics. He also completed the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Though a devoted uncle, Fred seemed destined to remain a bachelor. But at age 49, his contractor set him up on a blind date with Sally, a recently divorced mother of three. Both were hesitant. Sally later recalled that upon hearing that Fred’s interests included astronomy, physics, racing, computers, and reading calculus books for fun, she wondered what on earth they would talk about. But after dinner and a spirited discussion about the play they had just seen, a future looked promising. They married in 1993, a happy union that would last thirty-two years.
Friends and family members remember Fred for his humor, optimism, wisdom, and integrity. He loved spirited conversations, solving problems, strategizing over board games with his nephews, and encouraging the ambitions of those around him.
Fred’s interests were remarkably wide-ranging. A passionate supporter of the arts, Fred served as chairman of the board of HERE, the acclaimed Off-Broadway arts center, during its formative years and was an early supporter of its predecessor, the Tiny Mythic Theatre Company. Later, after moving to the Berkshires, he joined the board of Berkshire Playwrights Lab. His love of photography continued throughout his life, eventually leading him to serve on the board of Aperture, one of the nation’s leading photography organizations.
Fred also had a deep appreciation for architecture and design. After selling ACI, he founded Fred Harris Construction, specializing in high-end residential projects in Manhattan. His work included notable renovations in SoHo and Tribeca that were featured in major design publications.
Fred’s greatest joy in life was racing. He raced vintage open-wheel cars designed by Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham. A consistent winner at tracks across the country, Fred became a Formula Two champion. He cherished the thrill and strategy of the sport. “The coffee tastes better at the track,” he liked to say. In his later years, Fred loved watching Formula One and restoring classic vehicles, particularly Series I Land Rovers. At the time of his death, Fred was planning to restore the first car he ever owned, a 1957 Porsche Speedster convertible.
Always full of humor, Fred remained remarkably upbeat even as his health declined. He jokingly instructed every doctor he met to help him reach “triple digits,” like his mother, who lived to 103. As his body weakened, Fred’s appreciation for life’s wonders only increased. A few weeks prior to his death, Fred and Sally, with their dog Petey in the back seat, embarked on a cross-country road trip from Great Barrington to Dallas and back again. Filled with improvisation, unexpected discoveries, and time together, the joyful adventure became a dazzling final chapter to a cherished life.
Fred is survived by his wife, Sally Harris; his sisters, Sue Harris and Sally Essig; his stepchildren, Elena Jacobson, Lucas Jacobson, and Peter Jacobson; and his step-grandchildren, Nico de Leonardis, Quinn Jacobson, Reid Jacobson, and Avery Jacobson.
A memorial service remembering Fred and celebrating his life will be held on Friday, July 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Saint James Place, 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Those wishing to honor Fred’s memory are encouraged to support Saint James Place in whatever way feels meaningful, helping to sustain the mission he cared about so deeply.
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