Jeanne and Harold Swope
Harold and Jeanne Swope were long-time residents of Harrisburg. Mrs. Swope worked for the Pennsylvania Office of the Governor for many years, and Mr. Swope was an attorney who worked most of his career in the Harrisburg area.
Mrs. Swope had great respect for the men and women who served our country in the armed forces, especially her husband, Harold, who was a major in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He served as commanding officer of Marine Air Warning Squadron Three in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu), Solomon and Philippine Islands.
While both of their families had status in the Harrisburg area, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Swope ever took what they had for granted. After their marriage, Harold continued his law career, and Jeanne stayed home and cared for her husband, family and home. They were both very socially and politically active. Harold and Jeanne continued giving back to the community they loved. They were respected in the business world and in the community in which they lived.
Impact
After Mr. Swope’s death in 1999, Mrs. Swope continued to work with various nonprofit organizations, supporting fundraisers for many civic organizations. As she prepared her estate plan, her main focus was to give back to the community that she and her husband supported and that supported them.
Mrs. Swope passed away in April 2012. In her will, she requested that a portion of her estate be distributed to charities. The co-executors of the estate, in consultation with Mrs. Swope’s sister and close friends, selected charities in the Central Pennsylvania area they knew were in line with Mr. and Mrs. Swope’s values and beliefs.
The HACC Foundation was chosen as a local charity because Mr. and Mrs. Swope were passionate about education and saw higher education as a means for all to succeed.