Bob and rose harris scholarship fund
Bob and Rose Harris were good examples of the depth of family involvement in St. Ignatius Parish and School. Their dedication exemplified the things that make the school and school foundation strong.
Bob was born in Portland in 1923 in St. Ignatius Parish where Bob was a lifelong member. One of his ancestors, Lieutenant Broughton, was second in command to explorer George Vancouver who sailed into the Columbia River in 1792 and named Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. Bob’s parents came to St. Ignatius in 1912 shortly after it was founded and their five children attended St. Ignatius School, including Bob who graduated in 1937. Bob then graduated from Central Catholic High School and the University of Portland, earning a degree in industrial administration. He worked for Texaco in supply and distribution, retiring in 1979. During World War II he served in the Pacific in the 11thAirborne, in New Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan.
Bob was involved in the Legion of Mary, the Holy Name Society and the Catholic War Veterans. He was a Eucharistic minister, taking the Eucharist to shut-ins, counting the collection, served on the Administrative Council and volunteered for St. Vincent de Paul. He volunteered for many fundraising and other events, including the St. Ignatius Auction. Legend has it that Bob and Rose first really connected through volunteering at the Auction.
Bob was one of the founding members of the St. Ignatius School Foundation board in 1983 and remained a long-time member. He spent countless hours helping to create and sustain the Foundation, quietly handling all of the banking and often giving money to cover the expenses. Along with others, Bob had the foresight to protect the Foundation by incorporating it into a Non-Profit organization. While building this stability, Bob understood that there were also immediate needs of the school and often wrote a personal check for the principal to spend at her discretion. It was a natural that Bob and Rose would establish one of the first scholarship funds through the School Foundation.
For many years until her death Bob took care of his mother, never marrying until later in life when he met Rose. One of his brothers, Father O. Bernard Harris, SJ, was a Jesuit priest. Another brother, Fr. James Harris, was a diocesan priest. His sisters, Lucille and Marilyn, were members of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary community and both taught St. Ignatius students.
Bob lived simply and, in turn, chose to give generously. Bob passed away on Jan 1, 2003.
Rose (Fontes) Harris was born in Hawaii in 1923. She began her Catholic education in Hilo, taking a train two hours each way every day through the eighth grade. When the train stopped she shifted to a nearby public school. During World War II she worked in Army Intelligence as a censor and met her first husband, Warner Beem. In 1946 they moved to Portland and joined St. Ignatius Parish. Their only child, John, attended St. Ignatius School and during that time Rose volunteered as librarian and cataloguer at the school. Warner Beem died in 1982. Rose worked at Hirsch-Weis (part of White Stag Company) as Customer Service Manager in the swimsuit division, retiring in 1986 after 18 years with the company. Within the parish, Rose cleaned the church, served on the auction committee, helped with hospitality and was always available to do whatever needed to be done. She and Bob were married in 1989, Bob’s first marriage.
Rose also supported the school in ways that will forever leave a legacy. She loved to give to special projects such as new desks in the classroom or contributing to the prayer garden. She loved to see the children and sponsored many of them yearly in the jog-a-thon. She called donors for years during the phone-a-thon and encouraged us to support the school in any way that we were able -- all the while enriching our lives with her own hopes and dreams of the school and by her faith in God. Just last year Rose enjoyed seeing everyone at our Appeal dinner. She was a graceful, delightful lady who passed away September 13th, 2007.
Bob was born in Portland in 1923 in St. Ignatius Parish where Bob was a lifelong member. One of his ancestors, Lieutenant Broughton, was second in command to explorer George Vancouver who sailed into the Columbia River in 1792 and named Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. Bob’s parents came to St. Ignatius in 1912 shortly after it was founded and their five children attended St. Ignatius School, including Bob who graduated in 1937. Bob then graduated from Central Catholic High School and the University of Portland, earning a degree in industrial administration. He worked for Texaco in supply and distribution, retiring in 1979. During World War II he served in the Pacific in the 11thAirborne, in New Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan.
Bob was involved in the Legion of Mary, the Holy Name Society and the Catholic War Veterans. He was a Eucharistic minister, taking the Eucharist to shut-ins, counting the collection, served on the Administrative Council and volunteered for St. Vincent de Paul. He volunteered for many fundraising and other events, including the St. Ignatius Auction. Legend has it that Bob and Rose first really connected through volunteering at the Auction.
Bob was one of the founding members of the St. Ignatius School Foundation board in 1983 and remained a long-time member. He spent countless hours helping to create and sustain the Foundation, quietly handling all of the banking and often giving money to cover the expenses. Along with others, Bob had the foresight to protect the Foundation by incorporating it into a Non-Profit organization. While building this stability, Bob understood that there were also immediate needs of the school and often wrote a personal check for the principal to spend at her discretion. It was a natural that Bob and Rose would establish one of the first scholarship funds through the School Foundation.
For many years until her death Bob took care of his mother, never marrying until later in life when he met Rose. One of his brothers, Father O. Bernard Harris, SJ, was a Jesuit priest. Another brother, Fr. James Harris, was a diocesan priest. His sisters, Lucille and Marilyn, were members of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary community and both taught St. Ignatius students.
Bob lived simply and, in turn, chose to give generously. Bob passed away on Jan 1, 2003.
Rose (Fontes) Harris was born in Hawaii in 1923. She began her Catholic education in Hilo, taking a train two hours each way every day through the eighth grade. When the train stopped she shifted to a nearby public school. During World War II she worked in Army Intelligence as a censor and met her first husband, Warner Beem. In 1946 they moved to Portland and joined St. Ignatius Parish. Their only child, John, attended St. Ignatius School and during that time Rose volunteered as librarian and cataloguer at the school. Warner Beem died in 1982. Rose worked at Hirsch-Weis (part of White Stag Company) as Customer Service Manager in the swimsuit division, retiring in 1986 after 18 years with the company. Within the parish, Rose cleaned the church, served on the auction committee, helped with hospitality and was always available to do whatever needed to be done. She and Bob were married in 1989, Bob’s first marriage.
Rose also supported the school in ways that will forever leave a legacy. She loved to give to special projects such as new desks in the classroom or contributing to the prayer garden. She loved to see the children and sponsored many of them yearly in the jog-a-thon. She called donors for years during the phone-a-thon and encouraged us to support the school in any way that we were able -- all the while enriching our lives with her own hopes and dreams of the school and by her faith in God. Just last year Rose enjoyed seeing everyone at our Appeal dinner. She was a graceful, delightful lady who passed away September 13th, 2007.