Dr. Harris began caring for children in Mobile in 1950, and he was instrumental in organizing polio vaccine clinics in the area.
According to Dr. Keith J. Peevy, professor of pediatrics and neonatal medicine at USA, Dr. Harris was his inspiration to pursue fellowship training in neonatal medicine.
“His enthusiasm for his specialty and for teaching was contagious,” Dr. Peevy said. “Dr. Harris had a great sense of humor and was a very humble and caring man who was a great role model for young students, residents and junior faculty.”
Dr. Harris, a 1943 graduate of the University of Alabama, earned his degree from the Tulane medical school in New Orleans in 1945. A veteran of World War II, he was a flight surgeon with the U.S. Army Air Corps. In the mid-1970s, he received a fellowship at Duke University and became a board-certified allergist-immunologist.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, 2010, at Spring Hill Presbyterian Church.
