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Joan Harris Obituary
Concord, NH — Joan Newcomb Harris, 96, of Concord passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 23. Joan was born in Newton, MA., Daughter of Raymond and Hope Newcomb.
She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1939 and went on to become a zoology research assistant at Harvard where she met her future husband, Norman Harris. Shortly after they married, in 1946, they set out on a 3500, mile trip to 35 summer camps to introduce campers to the wonders of animal nature. That trip eventually evolved into them co-hosting the show, "Living Wonders" out of WBZ-TV. It became one of the most successful TV shows in the 1950's and 60's.
The show won the Westinghouse Award as the Best New Television show in 1950 and the George Foster Peabody award for outstanding television education in 1951.
In 1959, Joan and Norman moved to Concord, MA., where Joan became a librarian/archivist at the Concord Public Library, served as the treasurer for the area League of Women Voters and was active in the choir at the Unitarian Universalist church. When they moved to Hopkinton, NH in 1978, Joan became active in the NH Audubon Society and was an avid ornithologist, while continuing to support Norman as he did presentations around the state.
In the early the 1990's Joan and Norman moved to Heritage Heights where Joan worked for years as the residence's librarian.
Throughout their marriage Joan and Norman spent many wonderful summers in Meredith at Wicwas Lake enjoying extended time with the Harris and Newcomb families, picking quarts of blueberries, collecting little red newts for terrariums and working with neighbors to found the Lake Wicwas Association that supports the conservation of land and preserving the lake in its natural state.
Joan, who was married to Norman for 62 years, leaves a predeceased daughter, Shannon, son Christopher Gorham and grand-daughters, Julia Emerson of Candia, NH and Katelyn Louise of Denver, CO.
A private ceremony at the family's Meredith gravesite will take place this spring. (on a date still to be arranged).
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Lake Wicwas Association PO Box 325 Meredith, NH 03253.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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