Harris C. Webster

Harris Webster, who died Wednesday, June 18th, 2025, at his assisted living home in Berlin, Vermont, wrote the following obituary for himself.

I was born in 1934, the first son of Max and Mary (Small) Webster. Dad was serving as a minister in Broadus, Montana. Mom had been a nurse before becoming a minister's wife. I was most fortunate to be nurtured by their caring love and influenced by their passion for social justice.

My parents soon moved to Westfield and then Burlington, Vermont so my first memories and my upbringing took place in Vermont. With friends, I went to school, biked county roads, and hiked the Long Trail. With family, I traveled all over the state listening to my Dad preach as the United Church of Christ conference minister of VT. Thus, I consider myself a Vermonter, no matter what some might say.

I enjoyed school life, all my school subjects, and many extracurricular activities. Particularly high school debate, where, thanks to excellent partners, I was twice on the state championship team. My wife said I have never stopped debating. I attended Oberlin College in Ohio, my father's alma mater, where I majored in history and benefited from stimulating classmates and Oberlin's strong music program. A highlight of my college years was attending Fisk University, a HBCU, the Spring semester of 1954, participating in some early and minor civil rights protests.

My first and seminal professional experience was teaching 3 years at Tarsus American College, a secondary school in Turkey, where I became a committed internationalist and learned what 'culture' was all about. I was then drafted as a non-combatant and taught NCOs high school completion courses at Fort Sam Houston. Next over a span of 35 years, I taught high school social studies in Lansing, MI, at Everett High School, with the last 3 of those years at Eastern High School. I also initiated for the school district a required Global Studies course as well as various social studies-related extracurricular activities, such as Model UN. I coached tennis for 14 years. During this long span, I had a year of exchange teaching in Watford, England, a sabbatical at the University of Hawaii studying East Asia, and three-plus years of teaching in Otsu, Japan, as part of the sister city program.

During my years in Turkey I met my future wife Ellie, while digging ditches in Norway at a World Council of Churches' work camp. She was a Syracuse U. graduate, majoring in child development. I married her two years later while in the army. Other than making a living, she and I spent most of our time raising our four special children, Debbie, Jim, Tom, and Cyndi. Ellie and I've lived and loved through 53 years of marriage.

My retirement years in Montpelier, Vermont have been almost as long, meaningful, and enjoyable as earlier stages in my life. We've made good new friends and traveled cross country often tenting through the lower 48 states to visit our 4 kids and our 6 grandkids across four time zones. We've re-strengthened the good relationships I've had with my two siblings, Don and Susan, and former friends. Church has always been important to me, and we've been active and at home in our new churches, the Unitarian/Universalist Churches in Montpelier and Washington VT.

I'm a bit antsy so I have volunteered or was on the board with Washington County Mental Health, Japan American Society of VT, Friends of the State House, Murray Hill Area II Association, VT Interfaith Action, VT Interfaith Power & Light, etc. I've had 3 short sabbaticals during retirement, a 3 month teaching job back in Otsu, and a one month volunteer job teaching preschoolers in Palampur, India. Finally, for 3 months I taught middle schoolers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

In retirement I've delighted in contra dancing, chorus singing, canoeing, biking, snowshoeing, tennis, lots of walking Montpelier's streets (and checking out our sidewalks). In addition I am a writer including letters to the editor and climate change commentaries, an occasional homily, and tanka-haiku poetry. As I have approached the later years of retirement, climate change action has been my most pressing concern and activity. And I hope the world wakes up to the critical challenges our earth is facing.

I have lots of flaws, but my family and good friends know them and the rest of you don't need to. I soon will complete my full-of-wonder life, knowing that our universe will continue to evolve and that love between imperfect beings, (my god or the ultimate worth in my life) will live on.

Harris is survived by his children: Debbie McMaster of Pepperell, MA, Jim Webster of Longmont, CO, Tom Webster of University Place, WA and Cyndi Webster of East Lansing MI, as well as his Sister, Susan Chamberlain of Piedmont, CA, his grandchildren: Maggie, Grant, Callie, Abby, Ben and Rebecca, son and daughter in-laws: Charley, Therese and Laurel. He was predeceased in death by his wife, Eleanor Earl Cressey and his brother, Donald Vern of Brattleboro, VT.

A memorial service will be held at a later date at The Unitarian Church of Montpelier. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to either Vermont Interfaith Power and Light ("A Faith-Based Response to Global Climate Change") or any United Nations agency.