James O. and Louise M.
H arris
Endowed Scholarship Fund
Claflin University Orangeburg, SC
Some sixty years ago, when America took up the challenge of building a 41,000-mile network of interstate highways, James O. (Pete) Harris, was a scientist with Monsanto who recognized the relevance of his opportunities. Faster speeds and more cars on the road would require new materials in American tires and new technologies for testing them. Thirty years later, with some 40 patents to his credit, Dr. Harris retired from corporate life and turned his attention to an even greater opportunity. “I was going to plow back some of what I’d reaped,” Dr. Harris had written. “I decided that these kids needed me a lot more than did kids at bigger schools.” Dr. Harris accepted an appointment teaching chemistry at Claflin University in 1975, where he served faithfully until his retirement in 1994. The difference that he made at Claflin cannot be measured in dollars or understood with statistics, but it is surely seen in the lives he changed. His creativity and drive shaped community leaders, encouraged inventors and entrepreneurs, and inspired future physicians. Not on Claflin’s payroll, herself, Mrs. Harris was her husband’s always-loyal helper. In fact, in addition to typing his exams and other papers, Mrs. Harris would sometimes send his students personal notes, written in French, to encourage them to persist in their studies. Philip G. Harris and his brother, Joel M. Harris, recently established the James O. and Louise M. Harris Endowed Scholarship Fund in their parents’ honor to support highachieving chemistry and biochemistry students enrolled at Claflin University. In so doing, they have created a unique opportunity for others to honor their parents’ legacy by helping the University to address one of America’s greatest challenges: its pressing need for well-trained college graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Contribute online at https://tinyurl.com/Harrisfund.
For more information, please contact Mrs. Barbara Chappell, bsteadman@claflin.edu
Office of Institutional Advancement Claflin University 400 Magnolia St. Orangeburg, SC 29115 803-535-5349 Online Gifts can be made at https://tinyurl.com/HarrisFund
James O. and Louise M. Harris Endowed Scholarship Fund
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H arris
James O. and Louise M.