Harold Harper Bennett, 99, the first president of ZCMI in this century who wasn't the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Wednesday, Dec. 1, in Salt Lake City after a brief illness.
He had a 47-year career with ZCMI that included 15 years as the store chain's president, from 1958-73. He retired with ZCMI soon after heart surgery in December of 1972.Mr. Bennett, a brother of former Utah Sen. Wallace F. Bennett, started working for ZCMI in 1926 as an accountant in its grocery division. He also served in a variety of other positions -- secretary, treasurer, assistant general manager, director, vice president, general manager and executive vice president.
He continued after retirement on the ZCMI board of directors until the late 1970s, remained active for many years with the National Merchants Association and was still a director of Zions Bank.
A graduate of the University of Utah School of Business in 1925, his first two jobs as a teenager were bank messenger for Utah Station National Bank (now Zions First National Bank) and stacking hay one summer on Utah County farms. Mr. Bennett also served as a trustee of the Bennett Association, director and vice president of Bennett Paint Co. and partner and president of the Bennett Motor Co.
A member of the Brigham Young University College of Business Advisory Council, Mr. Bennett also served in a variety of other capacities, including a member of the New York University Merchants Council, as director of the Utah Retail Merchants Association, director of the Salt Lake Oratorio Society, a member and vice president of the Salt Lake Rotary Club and as an executive committee member of the Utah Taxpayers Association.
Mr. Bennett was also a past director of both Deseret Book Co. and Hotel Utah. He had also served as a director of the Salt Lake County Red Cross and Utah Symphony Orchestra. He was honored in 1960 with the National Merchants Association Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service.
He was also an accomplished singer, especially as a soloist. He had also been a state champion in tennis, badminton and squash and enjoyed boating on the Great Salt Lake.
Mr. Bennett served as a High Councilor in the Bonneville LDS Stake for 37 years and was a former member of the LDS Church Finance Committee.
Funeral services will be Saturday, Dec. 4, at noon at the Bonneville LDS Stake Center, 1535 E. Bonneview Drive. Friends may call at the Larkin Mortuary, 260 E. South Temple, Friday, Dec. 3, from 6-8 p.m., or from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Stake Center. Internment will be at Larkin Sunset Lawn Cemetery.