GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - The Green Bay Packers organization and fans are honoring Bob Harlan, the former president and CEO of the team who died Thursday.
Those who knew Harlan say his legacy extended well beyond his role with the organization.
### ‘He was just all about honesty’
Bill Jartz, Packers announcer and former WBAY anchor, first met Harlan in the 1980s.
“It’s hard to believe but you would call his number, and he goes ‘Hello this is Bob.’ You’re the president of the organization and you’re answering your own phone? Not just for people in the media but for fans who would call and complain. He had a way to diffuse tension. Fans would go ‘well my sheets are bad or this stadium…’ and he goes ‘shhhh’ take the air out of the tires a little bit. He said let’s sit back and talk about this,” Jartz said.
Jartz said Harlan’s defining quality was his integrity.
“Integrity, I mean he was just all about honesty and he was going to do what’s right for the Green Bay Packers and for this community because the two are so intertwined. Some people say well it’s the Packers organization…it’s really the Packers and the entire state of Wisconsin because they are such a draw,” Jartz said.
Bob Harlan was an absolute legend, not only at his job, but also in the community.
### A lasting impression on the community
Jartz also noted the challenge Harlan’s successor faced upon his retirement.
“Everybody is just saying great things, he’s just a great guy, what he did for this community. And so humbled while he did it. I mean Mark Murphy had a tough, tough job when he came in because Bob was so entrenched in this area,” Jartz said.
When Harlan retired in 2008, Christopher Handler, the original fence painter, wanted to mark the occasion. Handler painted a message on his fence that read: “Harlan family, thank you for all you have done.”
“He was the greatest guy, very easy to talk to. I just loved talking to him and listening to him speak,” said Handler, who is identified in the script as the original fence painter.
Handler said Harlan crossed the street to see the tribute, a moment Handler said he has not forgotten.
“All you’ve done around the community, around the Packers stadium, for the fans. Everything that you did in the office, all your hard work, I had to do something for him on the fence to show my appreciation toward him,” Handler said.
### Charitable work beyond the stadium
Jartz said Harlan regularly lent his name and presence to charitable organizations in the region.
“Just a nice guy. I’d see him at Door County Boys and Girls Club golf outing he would lend us the name and his persona to some very charitable organizations and he didn’t have to do that. But that was part of what the Green Bay Packers are. They are a community team. He lived that. He believed that,” Jartz said.
Jartz said his regard for Harlan only grew over the years.
“That was Bob. Bob made you feel good. And like I said, every time when you talked to him, you felt better when you walked away,” Jartz said.
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