February 09, 2026
Michelle Mittelman
From intention to impact: Spencer Ivy ’02 on honoring Dr. Judith E.B. Harmon and building opportunity for future Foresters
For Spencer Ivy ’02, philanthropy at Lake Forest College is about turning intention into action, and action into opportunity.
For more than 13 years, Ivy has brought passion, honesty, and purpose to his service on the Lake Forest College Alumni Council. Ivy’s decision to join the Council stemmed from a desire to be a voice for change and to help ensure future Foresters have strong, inclusive experiences at the College.
“My Lake Forest College experience really shaped how I look to build community and value diversity,” Ivy reflected, “and it continues to inform how I seek equity wherever I go.”
Ivy’s vision has been deeply influenced by the legacy of Professor of English, Dr. Judith Eilene Brown Harmon (1948–1996), a beloved professor whose teaching, mentorship, and advocacy left an enduring mark on Lake Forest College.
Joining the faculty in 1988, Professor Harmon was known for her direct teaching style, her generosity with students, and her belief that curricular diversity should be institutionalized across all disciplines. A driving force behind the College’s first African American studies program, her impact was later honored through the dedication of the 1999 Forester yearbook and the naming of the Carnegie Hall faculty lounge in her memory.
Ivy began his first year at Lake Forest College just one year after Professor Harmon’s passing and formed a friendship with her daughter, Donell Harmon-Parker ’99. Inspired by Professor Harmon’s legacy, Ivy approached Harmon-Parker about establishing a scholarship in her mother’s name to support African American students who embody intellectual curiosity and the Forester spirit, ensuring that Professor Harmon’s influence continues to open doors for future generations.
Left: Spencer Ivy '02
From vision to endowment
Left: Craig Marchbanks ’84 P ‘26, Ralph Carter, Corey Honore ’98, Khalid Parrett ’99, Lester Deanes ’98, Monisha Washington ‘12, Michelle Washington ‘02, Eryn Carter, Spencer Ivy ’02, TJ Hardaway ’99, Derrick Spencer ’97, Andrea Spencer ’97, Gret Taylor-Luhrs, Derek Lambert ’03 P ’14 ‘15, Adrienne Deanes, Dr. Dana K. Harmon, Donell Harmon-Parker ’99, Bill Lowry ’84, and Tyler Beck ’16
Ivy, alongside fellow alumni, helped organize a fundraising soirée to support the scholarship. The goal was ambitious: to raise enough funds to endow the scholarship and ensure its impact would last for generations.
Held in May of 2015 at Bureau Bar in Chicago’s South Loop, the soirée brought together many alumni from across several generations and even a few students to support the scholarship.
“That night showed what’s possible when alumni come together around a shared purpose,” Ivy said. “We wanted to honor Professor Harmon in a meaningful way and create something that would continue to open doors for students long after us.”
Alumnus and Chairman of the Board, Bill Lowry ’84, hosted the event and helped create a match challenge that ultimately carried the fundraiser across the finish line to the $50,000 goal to endow the scholarship.
“The scholarship was created to embrace the legacy, advocacy, and vision of Professor Harmon while assisting in the pursuit of knowledge at Lake Forest College by students of color—knowledge borne from a top-notch education in the classroom and from varied experiences of learning outside the classroom,” Lowry stated.
When Harmon-Parker reflects on the evening, she remembers feeling overwhelmed with emotion and positive energy throughout the room. One classmate shared how despite Professor Harmon teaching him for just two months, her influence has stayed with him and helped shape his path to becoming a professor himself. Others who had never met her were still deeply moved by her legacy.
“The day was intense for me. It felt like a family reunion. I was speechless seeing so many people whose lives my mom had touched. Moments like that remind you just how wide and deep her impact was,” Harmon-Parker said. “My sisters were there too, and I think they were happy to meet people who knew my mom and experienced her teaching. The room was full, the energy was incredible, and I could feel the love; for me, and especially for my mom.”
The impact of that generosity became real when Ivy and Harmon-Parker met the first recipient of the Professor Judith E.B. Harmon Endowed Scholarship, Deja McClellan ’20—who now works as a career advisor in the College’s Gorter Family Career Advancement Center—at a reception organized to award the scholarship.
McClellan reflected, “as an African American Studies major, I directly benefited from the program Professor Harmon worked so hard to develop—her vision shaped my entire college experience. The scholarship provided crucial support in my final year, offering some stability as I navigated the uncertainty of graduating in May 2020. Though I never had the chance to meet Professor Harmon, her impact is evident. She was a trailblazer who opened doors for students like me. Now, as a career advisor, I have the privilege of continuing her work by supporting students as they navigate their academic journeys and shape their careers.”
Why giving matters
For Ivy, supporting underrepresented students strengthens the entire Lake Forest community. “Diversity is our key,” he said. “When we invest in students who have historically been overlooked, everyone benefits.”
That belief is at the heart of the legacy he hopes to leave through his continued work with the College’s Alumni Council to “help make Lake Forest College a destination, one that future generations of minority students see as a safe, supportive, and a rewarding place to learn and thrive.”
Left: Professor Judith E. Harmon’s granddaughters, Devan A. Carter, Rian A. Carter, Aminah E. Harmon, Alina N. Harmon, and Breana T. Parker, in front of her memorial plaque beside The Harmon Lounge in Carnegie Hall.
A message to fellow alumni
Ivy encourages alumni to give in ways that feel personal and meaningful.
“Pick your cause. Find your passion,” he said. “When you give, you’re planting a tree whose shade you may never sit in—but future students will.”
As Lake Forest College looks ahead, Ivy believes collective generosity will continue to define its strength. “If we work together,” Ivy said, “Lake Forest College can truly be small but mighty—a place where every student feels supported and has the opportunity to succeed. Supporting underrepresented backgrounds makes all other backgrounds stronger.”
We warmly invite alumni to join us in gathering our community and supporting future Foresters at the College’s annual Forester Day celebration on Thursday, February 26, 2026.