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Harriet King
1933 - 2025
BORN
1933
DIED
2025
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Harriet King Obituary
At Durham Academy, she taught for over thirty years, primarily high school English, but also Latin and Greek. She was the department chair from 1978-90. After her retirement, she became a lecturer in the English Department at UNC-CH from 2001-2003, where her husband Kimball had been a professor since 1964.
She was married to James Kimball King in Chevy Chase, MD. They have three children,: Scottow (Camille), Caleb (Louise) and Virginia (Nigel), nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, with more on the way.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to Durham Academy, 3601 Ridge Road, Durham, NC 27705-5599, or the Chapel of the Cross, 304 East Franklin St., Chapel Hill 27514.
A funeral service will be held Monday, December 8th, at 4 p.m. at the Chapel of the Cross.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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Sponsored by R.M. Ferguson Funeral Service.
8 Entries
Beth Bruch
Yesterday
To Dr. King's family, I am so sorry for your loss. She was a wonderful and hilarious English teacher who helped to develop my sincere love of literature which has been sustained to this day. She inspired me to keep thinking and learning from 9th grade Dickens through AP English in 12th grade when she exposed me to such literary wonders as Beloved and The Non-Existent Knight. I'm forever indebted to her kindness, encouragement, and incredible ability to cheerfully roll with whatever my classmates and I threw her way. Hey work lives on through so many of her students. Thank you for sharing her.
Beth Bruch
Durham Academy '91
Ward Nye
December 5, 2025
Dr. King was an extraordinary teacher and mentor whose impact cannot be overstated. She taught me English and Latin at Durham Academy and served as my academic advisor, but her influence extended far beyond the classroom. Dr. King had a rare gift: an instinctive ability to bring out the very best in her students, not only academically but personally. Her kindness, talent, and unwavering dedication were a blessing to so many. She will be deeply missed, but her legacy lives on in the lives she touched.
Wendy Dascomb Bryan
December 5, 2025
My memories of Harriet King span from 1970-2025. As an un undergrad at UNC, I had the good fortune to take part in every course he taught, including the 2 small course Dr Kimball King taught, including the smaller courses at his home in evenings. She taught all 3 of my children at DURHAM ACADEMY. When my son attended college in Virginia, his Freshman course was to write a paper focusing on the most influential teacher in his life. As a philosophy major, he wrote an in depth report delving into the most positive and inspiring person/ teache/influential person she remained in his life. She was chosen by professors to attend a weekend event where the focus was on her. The dinner honored her while she and Josh sat with the Dean and chancellor. She was a powerful teacher/mentor/friend. Thank you, Harriet King for enriching our lives with your eternal presence in our lives.
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Will Ludington
December 4, 2025
Kind, wonderful, and wise. Dr. King connected with all of her students and made sure that each one of us felt welcome and valued in our own way. She was always a few steps ahead of us but had such an unassuming air of nonchalance that we never quite knew if we were getting away with something or doing what she had planned for us all along. I was in no way a stellar English student, but Dr. King made me think that I was and motivated me to work hard at it.
Barbara B Goodman
December 4, 2025
Ginia, I am so sorry to see that your Mom passed away. Much love from the Bair family
Sarah Oates
December 4, 2025
One of my best memories of high school is Dr. King, a truly kind and caring teacher. She made every student feel cherished and valued. Because she believed in you, she helped bring out your best and I credit her a great deal with my love of learning (and my own career as an educator). Her sweet smile lit up the classroom and she made it a welcoming and supportive place. My thoughts are with her family.
Jenny Cadwallader Bernard
December 4, 2025
What a beautiful soul; Dr. King´s positivity, smile, and unconditional love she showed each and every one of her students will forever be remembered. Dr. King´s southern literature class was my favorite, though not last, memory of my time with Dr. King. After graduating from DA, I was blessed to also have her dear husband as a professor at UNC and a visit to their home many years ago was like a page out of the southern classics we read together. xo
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