Judith C. Harris

Judith C. Harris

La Jolla

"Death has nothing to do with going away. The sun sets, the moon sets, but they are not gone." Rumi

Judith Harris led an extraordinary life and everyone she touched will never forget her. Her many passions led her to make lasting contributions to cultural, educational, and animal welfare institutions. Her grace and deep caring for others touched thousands of people throughout San Diego and beyond.
Nowhere in San Diego was her impact felt more widely than when she served as the Chair of The San Diego Public Library Foundation. She led the campaign to raise $95 million private dollars and $100 million in public funds to build the landmark Central Library in downtown San Diego. She believed that "a Library is a great equalizer. Everything is free for everyone" and she made sure that every student and daily user, not to mention all of the generous donors who helped build the Library, would feel the impact that this great building would have for literacy for generations of San Diegans.
Judith was the kind of leader to spearhead any project she believed in and she always spoke her mind in getting things moved past challenges and bureaucracy of all kinds. Recognizing these skills, she was appointed to the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and served from 1993 - 2001; the last four years as Chair. This led to her appointment on the Initial Arts and Culture Task Force for the San Diego Foundation where she served as a Trustee. Her interests went well beyond the arts, she graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy and loved flying helicopters.
She was an indomitable force in everything she set her mind to and with her greatest friend, David Copley, Publisher of the San Diego Union-Tribune, she Co- Chaired capital campaigns for KPBS, Animal Welfare Complex and the Scripps Cardiac Center. She also served for six years with him as a Trustee of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; as the Secretary of the Executive Committee and on the Art Selections Committee.
When she served as a Trustee of La Jolla Playhouse and as a Trustee of the San Diego Symphony Foundation Board, she expected everyone to work hard, as she did, and she set a wonderful example of what strong leadership looked like as well as commitment and passion.
Judith was also a woman of transcendent and dazzling good taste and her light shone on so much she cared about. She led a life of service and support for causes to make the world a better place.
Over and over again San Diego has recognized Judith's contribution to the quality of life in San Diego. Her awards and recognitions go on for pages as a leading advocate for the Arts; Woman of Dedication (Salvation Army), Woman of the Year (KPBS), "City Moves!" Lifetime Achievement Award, Mingei International Anniversary Honoree, The San Diego Council on Literacy Corporate Leadership, San Diego's Women Who Mean Business, National Philanthropy Award Outstanding Development Volunteer and she was most appropriately recognized by the mayor "for her tireless, dedicated and selfless activism and community volunteering" by proclaiming October 2, 2000 "Judith Harris Day."
She loved all creatures great and small and was notably the Chair of the San Diego Zoo Global Foundation Board.
Her latest great passion was as a Trustee for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International where she served as a board member for 15 years and board chair for the last four years. In recognition of Judith's important contributions and leadership, The Fossey Fund has said "Her unrelenting enthusiasm and clarion vision is a beacon for future generations of conservationists in Rwanda and Congo." They will Honor her legacy with the creation of the Judith Harris Science Fellowship for post graduate studies, specifically supporting African women pursuing careers in conservation and science. How many people can say that they played a significant role in saving an endangered species?
Judith always urged women to lead and "keep jumping in with your instincts. I believe listening to your inner voice is a female gift. Keep using it" she said.
Passionately generous to her friends, she could walk into any room and stun everyone into silence with her elegance and her glamour, her grace and her unerring sense of style. When she invited you into her orbit she would make everyone she talked to, no matter who or what they did, feel valued with a warmth that was gentle and deeply caring and generous.
In 2008 The La Jolla Light asked her who she would invite to a dinner party and her answers were as intriguing as they were illuminating. Clearly every one of her guests had strong opinions; just what Judith liked. Marlene Dietrich, Vlad the Impaler, Catherine the Great, Dian Fossey, Nicolo Machiavelli, Livia, wife of the first emperor Augustus, Guillermo del Toro and the Dalai Lama... two of whom she actually met and the rest of whom would have really enjoyed meeting her.
She is survived by her husband Dr. Robert Singer with whom she shared 39 amazing years of adventure, her beloved daughter Blair Harris, her brother Jack Harris, and her cats Tiger Lily and Tulip.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Judith's honor to the Judith Harris Science Fellowship Fund of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Gifts may be mailed to the Fossey Fund at 800 Cherokee Ave, SE Atlanta, GA 30315 or made online at www.gorillafund.org. Additionally, gifts may also be made in Judith's honor to The San Diego Humane Society at 5500 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110 https://www.sdhumane.org/

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