Harry J. Bruce started his railroad career as a steam locomotive fireman in 1952. In 1984 he became chairman and chief executive officer of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, which was headquartered in Chicago.
A Kent State undergraduate alumnus, Bruce earned the MS in economics from the UT College of Business in 1959. Before becoming CEO of Illinois Central, he served as a vice president of the company and also served as vice president for Marketing of Western Pacific Railroad for four years. In 1988 he led the railroad to spin off from its parent company and take back the name Illinois Central. After the railroad became a subsidiary of the Prospect Group in 1989, Bruce worked as a professor of business administration at Florida Atlantic University.
In 1990 he established the Harry and Vivienne Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business Administration. In 1995 he teamed up with UT English Professors Michael Keene and Russell Hirst to write A Short Guide to Business Writing (Prentice Hall). He also joined with UT Marketing Professor Ernest Cadotte and a multidisciplinary team to create an integrated textbook and simulation, Management of Strategy in the Marketplace, a spin-off of the College of Business’ integrated MBA program and of Cadotte’s Marketplace series.