Harrison Bull Obituary

Harrison Jewell Bull
Born: December 9, 1937 in Shelburn, IN
Died: January 22, 2026 in Downers Grove, IL
Harrison Jewell Bull passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at the age of 88, in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Harrison is survived by his wife, Carole; his four children, Julie (Michael) Moran, Randall (Holly) Bull, Jacqueline (Erich) Gross, and Christopher Bull (Kristen Litgen), his sister-in-law Gaile Aardema, and his ten grandchildren, Claire Moran (Phillip) d'Antoine, Kate Moran (Joseph Dorigo), Michael Moran, Matthew Moran, Christopher Bull, Olivia Bull, Samuel Bull, Cameron Gross, Blake Gross, and Sydney Bull, all of whom lovingly called him "Bompie", an ode to his grandfather.
Harrison is preceded in death by his mother, Gretchen Jewell Bull, his father, Edward Carrington Bull Jr, and his brother, Edward Carrington Bull III.
Harrison was born in Shelburn, Indiana on December 9, 1937, and shortly after he moved to the south side of Chicago where he lived with his parents and brother. He spent his summers in Derby, New York on Lake Erie, visiting his extended family.
He graduated from Lindblom High School where he met his wife, Carole. They married on November 25, 1961, and later rented a home on "Teachers Row" in Clarendon Hills, Illinois. After having their twins, they moved to Darien, Illinois where they had two more children. In Darien, he and his family spent their time with their next-door neighbors and life-long friends, the Dariens, Nick, Cheryl, and Nicole. He created a Japanese Garden in his yard, and he always had a camera in his hand. He took road-trips across the country with his family every summer, spending hours capturing the world around him, even achieving his goal of taking his family to all 50 states. His family would sit with him on the side of a mountain for hours until he got the perfect sunset photo.
He earned his college degree at Northern Illinois State College before beginning a lifelong career in education at Hinsdale Central High School. During his years at Hinsdale Central, he was a leader in the Social Studies department, teaching a variety of history classes and spearheading the Asian Studies program. He went on to get his master's in psychology, and in addition to teaching AP Psychology, he incorporated his knowledge and passion for sports psychology into his coaching career. He was known to
help students develop their own perspectives and convictions. In the 1960s and 70s, his teaching methods were ahead of his time. He pioneered the rearrangement of his classroom desks in a circle to spark conversation. He pivoted from the traditional lecture style classroom and encouraged his students to journal within his class, writing their thoughts, questions, and curiosities; he would write back to each of them, making them feel heard. He even pushed the boundaries with the dress code, being one of the first teachers to wear jeans in the classroom.
Harrison was the Freshman Gymnastics coach at Hinsdale Central from 1966-1985 first starting with Coach Tony Canino, later alongside Coach Neil Krupicka. Coach Bull was loyal, thoughtful, and deeply committed to seeing the best in every student and athlete. His influence was so enduring that the oldest freshman gymnastics invitational in Illinois was renamed the Harrison Bull Gymnastics Invitational in 1995. He was honored with special recognition by the Illinois High School Gymnastics Coaches Association and was inducted into the Hinsdale Central Foundation Hall of Fame in 2021. His wisdom and character left a lasting impression on generations of athletes, honored for many years through the annual Harrison Bull Excellence Award given to a deserving senior. His athletes have memories of one-on-one coaching, the "mental set", and learning visualization strategies to achieve success in their sport. His athletes speak today about using these strategies long after leaving Hinsdale Central.
He later brought his coaching expertise to the Hinsdale Central Girls' Soccer team, starting as a head freshman coach in 1973 and later he became an assistant boys varsity coach to head coaches including Coach Dick Flesher, Coach Skip Begley, and Coach Mike Wiggins. He became the goalie coach, calmly guiding the goalies with the reminder to "Do your best." Coach Bull was known for always being available to share experiences and understand high levels of stress management, often with his well-known sense of humor. Across both his soccer and gymnastics teams, he helped lead athletes to nearly a dozen state championships, countless additional honors, and, for some, collegiate and Olympic careers. As the assistant to many state champion teams for gymnastics and soccer, he remained humble and self-effacing, yet was an integral part of each team's success.
A lifelong learner, he was an avid reader of history and psychology, subjects that reflected his deep curiosity and broad intellect. He was also a skilled photographer, rarely without his camera, capturing nature, family, friends, and sporting events. He was known for his black-and-white style photos. His photography hobby spanned more than 60 years, taking him from a darkroom in his basement developing film to sitting behind a computer digitally editing photos. Combining his passions for photography and coaching, he was known as the Historian of Hinsdale Gymnastics and Soccer, as his photos of over 50 years of teams and individuals is a lasting legacy to the winning tradition he helped to create at Hinsdale Central. His photos can be found in the Harrison Bull Gallery of Champions in the gymnastics gymnasium, as well as throughout the hallways at Hinsdale Central High School. In addition to his Hinsdale Central career, his photography permeated throughout his life. Often mistaken for a member of the sports press, he could always be found right on the sidelines at his grandchildren's sporting events, devoted to capturing the perfect shot. This reflects how much emphasis he put on his family.
Harrison's legacy lives on through the many lives he touched as an educator, coach, mentor, friend, father, and beloved "Bompie".
All are welcome to join for a celebration of life open house at Katherine Legge Memorial on January 31, 2026 from 12-5pm. Coaches, family and friends will be sharing memories at 2pm
Katherine Legge Memorial
5901 S County Line Rd, Hinsdale, IL 60521
In lieu of flowers, a donation to Schools Count Corporation can be made in Harrison's honor. Donations may be made via their website or a mailed check to
Schools Count Corp. 12418 S. Compass Ave Plainfield, IL 60585
Arrangements made by Sullivan Funeral Home 630-323-0275 or www.sullivanfuneralhomehinsdale.com