• Features

'A beautiful adventure’ in honor of Brooks and Kathleen Harris

• By Dave Mast
• May 26, 2019
• 1117

Wendy McEntire, daughter of Brooks and Kathleen Harris, sat listening to many stories shared about her mother and father for nearly two hours as a number of local historians and friends came to the microphone.

Thus, when she rose to speak near the end of the presentation, it was with joyful tears of remembrance and love that she addressed the nearly 100 people in attendance at “A Walk Back in Time: The Memories of Brooks and Kathleen Harris."

“We are so overwhelmed by these stories about my parents,” said McEntire, who was in attendance along with her husband Dale, brother Brooks Harris, Jr., Kathleen’s sister Donna Light and her husband Harry Light. “They were loving people, and every day was a beautiful adventure with them.”

The show was jointly presented by the Holmes County Historical Society and the Killbuck Valley Museum at the Duncan Theater in Killbuck.

According to Holmes County Historical Society director Mark Boley, Brooks and Kathleen Harris had an impact on the history of Holmes County. They were active members of the historical society for many years and authors of the “Holmes Co. Historical Sketchbook.” He said they left their mark and touched many students’ lives in ways that made a lasting impression as both teachers and coaches at West Holmes High School.

“When we were doing our programming schedule earlier this year, I told Bob Porter that we really needed to do something to commemorate Brooks here locally because he had been gone for a few years,” Boley said, “not a memorial, but something that allowed people to share stories. It’s a little different than our regular programming, but we thought it would be meaningful because of all of the lives they touched."

Brooks Harris was a history teacher, and history and antiques were a huge part of his life. He owned and operated Brookline Antiques and always seemed to have an old coin, an ancient newspaper article or some other rare piece of memorabilia at his disposal.

He also was an athletic director and coach, and took the West Holmes High School baseball team to state in 1966. Several team members from that year attended the program including former star pitcher Lyle Gray, who spoke about his days playing under Brooks Harris.

Gray said with all of the memories of baseball and winning and of doing exactly what coach Brooks asked of them without question, taking the Knights to their first-ever state tournament, it wasn’t baseball or athletics that left the biggest impression in his life of Brooks and Kathleen Harris.

“You look at their lives, what do you see?” Gray said, noting that to some it might be dad, teacher, coach, mentor, integrity, honesty and more. “I’m going to throw in service. They were always helping someone with something. Brooks and Kathleen touched a lot of lives in Holmes County. Holmes County is much better off since the Harrises dedicated their lives to the betterment of the community.”

Porter was hired by WHHS in 1969 to teach world history while Brooks Harris taught American history. The two developed a relationship, introduced by history.

Porter shared the story of a trip to visit Brooks and Kathleen Harris at their home in West Virginia, where they would go to stay in the summer when school was out. He said it was in the middle of nowhere with no running water and an outhouse.

“We somehow managed to find Brooks’ house, and he said we were going to go visit his neighbor,” Porter said. “We pulled in, and I was never so scared in my entire life. Brooks gets out, and there sitting in a circle in the yard are all of these guys, and every one of them had a gun in their hand, and not only that, they were passing around a half-gallon jug of whiskey. I was never so scared.”

Porter said West Virginia was as ingrained in Brooks as was history, baseball and antiques.

Kathleen Harris was a girls physical education and home economics teacher. She too made an impact on many. Two women who went on to become teachers shared stories about their experiences as students and athletes under the care of Kathleen Harris.

West Holmes teachers Lorna Miller and Marlyce Yoder recalled Kathleen Harris as a warm, caring person who was full of energy, but the biggest impression she left was one of caring for others.

“She taught us compassion, and when you help others, it makes them feel better, and it makes you feel better,” Miller said.

Miller said one big lesson she learned from her mentor was to show compassion for the kids who were not the great athletes and were constantly being picked last for games in gym class.

“Kathleen approached me one day and said think about those kids who always get picked last,” Miller said. “Then she turned around and walked away.”

Miller got the point and began picking kids first who never got picked first. She said that would elicit huge grins and appreciation, which made everyone feel better. Miller said because of the simple advice from Kathleen, not once in her 33 years of teaching physical education did she ever have captains pick a team for that very reason.

Miller also talked about how Kathleen Harris accomplished incredible feats as a volleyball and gymnastics coach, but because girls sports were not that big back then, they went unnoticed.

“She really put West Holmes athletics on the map,” Miller said. “We never wanted to disappoint her. She was my mentor, my teacher and my coach.”

Many other friends and family took the microphone to share about their experiences and memories of the couple. It produced a night of warmth in honoring and remembering a couple that had made such an impact on the lives of those around them.

Brooks Harris passed away Nov. 15, 2018, at the age of 89. Kathleen Quinn Harris passed away March 29, 2015, at the age of 81.