Old photographs of Richard A. Harkin show him welding a pipe and then teaching others how to do it. He appears with the governor at a campaign stop and poses in front of some of Long Island’s most significant construction projects, including the Shoreham nuclear power plant. He rose through the ranks of the Steamfitters Local 638 union, becoming a key advocate of the construction trades and a proponent for the region’s economic development. At 93, the workforce icon was remembered by family and friends, including 12 grandchildren and 11 greats.
The Center Moriches resident and Air Force Veteran served as a deputy Public Works Commissioner for Suffolk and the director of Energy Management for Ronel Bennett, having won various awards and citations for his work representing the men and women of labor. A member of the Steamfitters executive board, he was the director of the union’s Political Action Committee, as well as a member of the Long Island Mid-Suffolk Business Action Committee, Nassau/Suffolk Building Trades Council, and the 110 Republic Airport Action Team. He was a member of the Long Island Regional Coordinating Council, Long Island Association's Energy Committee, and was even part of the Committee for Reasonable Government.
“When Governor Mario Cuomo came to Long Island, my dad gave him a hard time for not doing enough for the workers,” his son, Richard, said. “He was involved with everything that had to do with promoting construction and jobs on Long Island.”
His passing was announced by his daughter, Peggy Harkin Reinwald. “He was always willing to try new things, to learn new things,” she said. “His stories were many, and they will live on in us. He was an inspiration to his family on how to live life to the fullest. Thank you, Dad, for everything. You will be missed.”
In winning the Business Action Committee’s Front Page Award, Harkin was recognized for his “dedicated leadership in management-labor cooperation in projects advancing Long Island's economy and quality of life, and for aggressive representation of union positions on political issues.”
Working for the county for 17 years, Harkin was honored by County Executive Steve Levy for “performing his duties as Assistant to the Commissioner in a consistently professional manner, providing the support necessary for the smooth operation of the Suffolk County Department of Public Works.”
Harken was president of the Moriches Bay Little League when the final payment was made on the mortgage to buy its Beechfern Road field, noted his son Richard, who was on the Cubs at the time. He spent many a summer day with his family boating on Moriches Bay and later enjoyed watching radio-controlled planes and boats.
“He was a good man,” said his Center Moriches neighbor Ed Romaine, the current Suffolk Executive who issued him a proclamation back in 1989 when he was a county legislator. “He was involved in many construction projects and made sure the work was done right, and the workers were treated well.”
In addition to Richard and Peggy, he is survived by sons Arthur and Kevin, grandchildren Kevin, Rich, Scott, Ryan, Shea, Leah, Julia, Sebastian, John, Kerry, Kim, and Mike, along with 11 great-grandchildren. Originally from Greenpoint, Brooklyn, he met his wife, Elizabeth, on a blind date. The couple moved to Center Moriches in 1958, where his wife of 62 years predeceased him.