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BORN
1936
DIED
2022
Richard HARRIS Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Richard HARRIS
23 Entries
Derek Reimer
May 1, 2024
I only became aware of the death of Cole Harris today. I´m so sorry to heat this news. I was one of Cole´s graduate students in the early 1970s and while i didn´t complete my PhD, Cole´s mentoring led to my career as an archivist. Thank you Cole.
Cole was a wonderful person: intelligent, empathetic, deeply curious, fun and amusing while being dedicated to his craft, respectful and always, always enthusiastic in a completely infectious way.
His field trips were legendary. I remember a winter outing to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The weather was atrocious (cold, windy and horizontal blowing sleet) which we endured while Cole exclaimed about how fortunate we were to be having such an authentic experience.
While I haven´t seen Cole in decades "garsh" I really miss him.
Derek Reimer (ABD - All But Dissertation)
George Lin HKU
October 18, 2022
My deepest condolences from Hong Kong! Cole had cast such a long shadow over the building and expansion of impeccable UBC Geography Tradition nurturing generations of outstanding geographers. He shall be fondly remembered for his passion, solid scholarship, wonderful mentorship and great sense of humor. His legacy lives on and will be celebrated for the many years to come.
Susan Safyan
October 13, 2022
It was really an honour to know Cole. I had the very great pleasure of being a guest at Cole and Muriel´s magical, musical birthday/Christmas parties for several years. Not long before the world closed down, we stopped to visit them at the Bosun Ranch and enjoyed their generous hospitality and beautiful home there. Although I didn´t know Cole well, I admired the quality of his considerable depth of intelligence and wide knowledge and was grateful for his genuine kindness. I will miss our conversations. Thank you, Cole, for making one more life brighter by your presence in it.
Margaret Walton-Roberts
October 12, 2022
I was so sorry to hear that Cole had passed away. My graduate education at UBC (1994-2001) was so enriched by his intellect, humanity and concern. I was a teaching assistant for his undergraduate classes, attended BC field trips that opened my eyes to the history and beauty of BC, and visited his family home in Slocan Valley, where I saw his joy and happiness being there. I am so grateful for what Cole Harris shared with us as students at UBC, and more so for his profound and insightful writing about settler colonialism in BC. I send my condolences and comfort to his family, I am deeply sorry for your and our loss.
Tom and Beth Perry
October 11, 2022
Beth and I regret we could not attend the memorial service for Cole today. But we were able to watch online and learned much that we did not previously know. The girls gave us a wonderful glimpse into the home life at Harris Ranch that we had heard of, and seen a little of during summer events there. Douglas' tribute was very moving and we learned more about Coles Catholic interests and personality. And the music at the end was wonderful. It is an inspiration to see that your family has succeeded in transmitting these humanistic attitudes and respect for other people and the environment now through 5 generations. We have sent a contribution to the Slocan Legacy Fund, but feel that the Harris family and its land stewardship are themselves a huge part of the "Slocan legacy". We send all of you from Professor Muriel Harris on down the line our warm greetings and admiration. Tom and Beth Perry, Vancouver
Herbert Rosengarten
October 11, 2022
Thank you for a beautiful memorial service that did justice to Cole's many fine qualities. What came out most clearly was his love of family, so strongly reciprocated in the words of those who spoke. We are all lucky to have known him.
Mairin Wilde
October 11, 2022
I attended the live stream of the memorial for Cole today, and want to thank all who brought such a vivid and heartfelt celebration of Cole's life to those who knew him and loved him. I met Cole when he signed up for my Well Back course, where he seemed to both delight and be baffled by renewing his relationship with his body. He embraced his practice of Pilates and joined our equipment program, quickly becoming a treasured member of our community at the Vancouver Pilates Centre. He remained a loyal and active member until May of 2018, when he made a point of thanking me for what had gained in his many years with us, but that he would regretfully not be continuing due to his health challenges. I so admire him for his willingness to explore and remain curious about the moving body, and for all that he accomplished with us. My sincere condolences to Muriel and all of his family - it is clear that his spirit lives well in all of you. Thank-you for sharing so many precious memories today. Blessings,
Mairin Wilde
Martin Lemieux
October 11, 2022
Thank you Harris family for making it possible to celebrate Cole's life and memory with you. My heartfelt salutations to all of you.
Philippe Taillefer
October 11, 2022
C´est avec grande tristesse qu´Alysha et moi avons appris cette nouvelle. Doco était adorable, érudit, sympathique, curieux, intéressant, chaleureux et généreux. Nous avons apprécié chaque moment en sa compagnie. Il nous manquera à tous alors même que sa vie nous sert d'example.
Philippe & Alysha
Mary Philpot
October 11, 2022
I was saddened to hear of Coles passing, although, like others, I was aware that he was having health issues. I´m not sure I was the scholar he expected from Toronto in 1973, but I felt warmly welcomed and I was very grateful for his guidance in the years I was at UBC. I was lucky enough to be on a few unconventional field trips, including a memorable night in the Rock Creek pub and stumbling back to our campsite at night. Stays at the ranch are warmly remembered , especially at this time of year. That was my first Thanksgiving out west, which has become my home.
Raising a young family, Cole and Muriel were so generous with their time....it couldn´t have been easy to juggle that with wet behind the ears grad students.
My sincere condolences to the family. I was so lucky to have met this remarkable man and I have wonderful memories of that time .
Yasmeen Qureshi
October 11, 2022
It was a pleasure and a privilege to have learned from Cole as a student and worked for him as a research assistant. I'm grateful that he hired me at a time when job prospects were bleak = the work I did for him launched my career. I will always think of him on road trips through BC.
Maya Ostrofsky
October 11, 2022
I feel so blessed to have known Cole, to have been invited into his world and to have been on one of his "unconventional field trips" with the Coyote project. I always came out of conversations with him a bigger person: not only because of his knowledge, humor, wit and intelligence, but also because of the profound respect, consideration, kindness and genuine curiosity with which he treated all of his interlocutors.
Deep condolences to the entire Harris clan from myself, Martin, Roza, Galilee and Blaise.
You are in our hearts and in our thoughts!
John Britton
October 10, 2022
To Muriel and the Harris family, I was greatly saddened to learn of Cole´s death, though I was aware that he had been unwell. As his obituary ably points out he was a major figure in Canadian geography over the last 50 years. Alongside that stature in our field for me he was always a friendly voice even after we ceased to be immediate colleagues and I greatly appreciated his supportive hand in my transition to becoming a Canadian geographer. While these are tough times for you, I will be thinking of you and send my deepest sympathies.
Judith Maltz
October 10, 2022
The world will be a poorer places without Cole and his undaunted spirit of kindess, brilliance and playful humour.
I join you all in mourning his passing and was proud to call him my friend. He was much loved and will be very much missed.
Will share in his memorial online with Wendy H. and we will be sending our deepest condolences.
As always- in the heart of the Slocan- with Sandy, Molly, Susan and Cole,
Judy
Alan R H Baker
October 10, 2022
I was saddened to learn of Cole's death. Cole was an internationally lauded scholar and a powerful advocate for historical geography. I met him at conferences and benefited enormously from his experience and wisdom during his stay in Cambridge some years ago. He set high standards for himself as a teacher and researcher. His intellectual curiosity was profound and to engage in discussion with him was a challenging but very positive experience. Cole was also a modest man, who preferred talking about the achievements of others to vaunting his own. I admired Cole as a scholar and for his humanity. I will cherish my memories of him as the great scholar he was and as the friend he became.
Alan Baker
Cambridge, 10 October 2022
JOHN GREEN
October 9, 2022
I was a hockey team mate and friend of Cole. Reflecting back, my enjoyment from hockey has always been more about the people than the game. Some stand out more than others in this regard and Cole is one of those!
Glenys Acland
October 8, 2022
We at Brock House Society are very grateful for the time Dr Harris gave to our members on three different occasions to lectures on his beautifully written book "A Bounded Land ".The book is a love story about Canada but does not skip over the nasty bits of our historical geographical landscape. Dr. Harris was a true gentleman and a scholar. His intellectual and nuanced insights will be sorely missed.
Howard White
October 4, 2022
A fine scholar with great reverence for his deep BC roots. It was a pleasure and an honour to work with him.
Jim Gibson
October 4, 2022
My condolences to Cole's family. Treasure the memories!
Richard Copley
October 3, 2022
Cole was the best lecturer we had, back in the old days. Maybe not so funny nor so earnest as some, he was a natural storyteller of important stories and the best of what we all admire.
Susan Hook Czarnocki
October 2, 2022
I met Cole early in my Freshman year at UW-Madison. We lived in adjacent dormitories, and ate in the same dining room. With my room-mate we engaged in long conversations, as he brought us gently to examine all of our 'Freshman-ish' pre-supositions about life -- it was transformative. I kept in touch with him as one of the most important influences in my life.
Terry McGee
October 2, 2022
To the Harris Family, it was with great sadness that we read the obituary. He died at the age of 86 which is my age. He was a warm and rather whimsical figure at times but loved and mightily respected . Lori & Terry McGee (Victoria BC)
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