NORFOLK, Va. — Edythe Harrison, who once represented Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates and whose name adorns the city's opera house, has died at the age of 91.
An obituary reveals Harrison died on Monday, September 1.
According to the obituary, Harrison and her husband, Stanley, moved to Norfolk from Detroit in 1956. In the 1960s, she gained notoriety as a champion of the civil rights movement.
Then, in 1974, she organized the creation of the Virginia Opera Association and became its first board chair. In the 1990s, Harrison raised millions of dollars to help convert Norfolk's Center Theater into a home for the Virginia Opera. The Harrison Opera House — named for Edythe and Stanley — still serves as a principal venue for the opera and countless other performances.
"Edie’s legacy is deeply intertwined with Virginia Opera," opera General Director John-Paul Schaefer said in a statement. "Her leadership, vision, and belief in the importance of the arts helped shape not only our organization, but the cultural life of our Commonwealth. That extraordinary legacy is permanently reflected in the Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, which has been Virginia Opera’s headquarters and a gathering place for generations of artists and audiences."
Harrison was also known for a glass ceiling-breaking political career. She won a seat representing Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1979. According to the obituary, she later became the first woman to run for statewide office when she was the Democratic nominee for the commonwealth's U.S. Senate seat in 1984.
Harrison's later life saw her heavily involved in Women's Studies programs at Old Dominion University.
She will be laid to rest Friday, September 4, at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk.
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