Donald Edward Harris was born Oct. 30, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pa., to William B.D. Harris and Marguerite Lukens Harris. Don was the youngest of six children: brothers, Dick, Bill and Bob and sisters, Betty and Dorothy. The family moved to Buckingham in the fall of 1928, where he later attended Buckingham School until the age of 15. Don then enrolled in the machinist program at the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades in Media, Pa.
Upon graduation from Williamson in 1946 he entered the United States Army as an infantryman in the 11th Airborne and served two years as a machinist in the 62nd Signal Battalion stationed in Sapporo and Sendai Japan. After receiving his honorable discharge from the Army in 1948, Don returned to Buckingham, where he applied his skills as a machinist at several local firms for the next few years.
In January of 1951, he enrolled at the Pennsylvania State University where he received his Bachelor of Science in 1954. It was during his undergraduate years at Penn State he met Martha Ann Worthington of New Hope, Pa., and they were wed on Aug. 29, 1953. From 1954 to 1962, he worked in various capacities at Harris, Henry and Potter, a civil engineering firm. Don and Marty started their family and their first child, Cristina, was born in Doylestown, Pa., in 1956. Their son, John, was born in Bellefonte, Pa., in 1959.
In 1962, Don began a career in vocational education that would span the next 31 years until his retirement in 1993. His first teaching position was as the machine shop instructor at Tyrone Area High School. At the same time, he completed work on his master’s degree in Education at Penn State, receiving his M.Ed. in 1965.
In 1966, he joined the faculty at Penn State’s Department of Vocational Education, where he traveled throughout Pennsylvania helping instructors at vocational schools improve their teaching skills and attain certification.
In 1973, Don returned to the Williamson Trade School as the Director of Education. He was responsible for admissions, class scheduling and curriculum development. In 1976, he received his D.Ed. from Penn State.
In 1979, he was promoted to vice president, a position he held until leaving Williamson to join the Philadelphia School District.
From 1984 until his retirement in 1993, Don first served as a supervisor of trade and industrial education and later as a coordinator of vocational education for the Philadelphia School District.
In 1993, Don was recognized for his contributions to the educational programs at Williamson School as a distinguished alumnus. He took great pride in his service to his students through the entirety of his career.
Upon retirement, Don enjoyed traveling extensively worldwide. He took great pleasure in maintaining a small farm in Solebury, Bucks County. Don occasionally served as an educational consultant and regularly volunteered at the American Legion in New Hope as well as several other local civic organizations.
In addition to his two children, Don is survived by his two granddaughters, Rebecca Sinclair and Emily Harris.
A memorial service will be held at the Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1680 Aquetong Road, New Hope, PA 18938 on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 at 11 a.m.
Private interment will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Donald Edward Harris and Martha Worthington Harris Scholarship in the College of Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Tax deductible donations may be made directly at raise.psu.edu/HarrisScholarship.
Send condolences to www.varcoethomasfuneralhome.com.
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