Charles Harrison, former industrial designer at Sears, Roebuck and Company, created practical innovations that touched many lives.
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum honors the prolific industrial designer with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Charles "Chuck" Harrison has been called the "Jackie Robinson of industrial designers." The first African-American to be hired by Sears Roebuck in a salaried position, he talks with Vicki Matranga about his exceptional career.
Charles "Chuck" Harrison has been called the "Jackie Robinson of industrial designers." The first African-American to be hired by Sears Roebuck in a salaried position, he talks with Vicki Matranga about his exceptional career.
Harrison is a back-to-basics kind of guy. This approach served him well in the 1950s. He was among the first Blacks to enter the field of industrial design that sprang up to take advantage of the buergeoning consumer market at the then-leading retailer Sears, Roebuck and Co., his employer for 33 years.
Chuck's partipation in the 2007 edition of the Museum of Science & Industry exhibition in "Black Creativity Gala celebrates innovators."
Code Z Online
The expansive breadth of Chuck's work is discussed in "Chuck Harrison: Life's Work" on the Black Visual Culture Web site.
Washington Post
"Chuck Harrison, Adding Dimension to Design" article by Linda Hales explores Chuck's career and the background that helped him become successful.
Chicagoing
Chuck is featured on ABC-7 Chicago's long-running weekly program that showcases the city's rich history, the promise of its future and its people, places and possibilities.
Columbia Chronicle
In 2002, along with a number of other achievers, Chuck Harrison was inducted into HistoryMakers.
Chicago Tribune
A significant body of Chuck Harrison's drawings and photographs have been placed into the University of Illinois at Chicago archives.