Lawrence Harris

Memorial services are scheduled for 11 a.m., April 26, 2014, at the First Presbyterian Church in Roswell 400 W. 3rd St. for Lawrence C. Harris, age 95, who passed away on March 7, 2014. Dr. Hugh Burroughs will officiate.

Harris who was known as Larry was born in Pleasant Valley, Okla., on July 12, 1918, the eldest of three children born to Elmer and Elsie Harris.

Harris attended public schools in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas, before graduating from high school in Guthrie, Oklahoma in 1937. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1941 with a bachelors of science degree in business administration.

After college, Harris enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp. in July of 1941. During his service, he spent more than two and a half years overseas with the 13th Air Force and later the 5th Air Force, from the South Pacific to Okinawa and mainland Japan. He was discharged in March 1946 as a lieutenant colonel a rank he achieved by the age of 23.

In 1942, Harris met his wife of 62 years, Marion Virginia Sanders, at a USO dance in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was attending Officer Candidate School and where she had graduated from Indiana University. The couple was married in November of that year in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After the war, they moved to Marions hometown of Roswell, New Mexico. They believed Roswell was a great community to live and raise a family it was where they raised their three children: Judy, Scott, and Abby.

Harris worked for his fatherinlaws title business, GessertSanders Abstract Co., for six years before starting his own oil and gas business, New Mexico Oil Corporation, in 1952. As an independent oil operator with interests in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, Harris was active in numerous oil and gas industry activities.

He served as president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and as a member of the Governors Energy Related Growth and Development Committee. He was also a member of the Independent Producers Association of America, the Permian Basin Producers Association, the Energy Committee under the New Mexico Council of Economic Advisors, and the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico where he served as chairman of the membership committee. He was also a charter member of the Freedom Club at the Mountain States Legal Foundation.

Harris was very involved in community affairs, including serving as a member of the Roswell Board of Education for 10 years serving on the board of directors of the National School Boards Association, and on the executive committee representing 11 western states, for five years assisting in upgrading the previously ineffective New Mexico School Boards Association helping develop the local community college, Eastern New Mexico UniversityRoswell, from its very beginning accepting leadership roles in developing public support for bond issues for educational institutions raising funds for charitable organizations and serving in many capacities for the United Way, Zia Girl Scouts Council, YMCA, Golden Gloves, Salvation Army, Oklahoma Baptist University, First Presbyterian Church of Roswell, and many other groups and services.

For his generosity, dedication and community service, Harris received numerous awards, including: Roswell Jaycee Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Citizen of Roswell 1964 KBIM Award for Outstanding Service to Roswell and its People 1967 Roswell Sertoma Club Service to Mankind Award 1971 Citizens Award from the American Association of Petroleum Landmen for distinguished service and industry leadership 1974 IPANM Member of the Year 1979 Roswell Chamber of Commerce Recognition Award 1982 Distinguished Service AwardEastern New Mexico University, Portales 1982 Roswell Board of Realtors Citizen of the Year Award 1985 Desk and Derrick Boss of the Year Award 1987 United Way Community Volunteer Service Award 1990 and the Salvation Army Others Award 1993. In 1987, Harris was also inducted into the Bison Athletic Association Hall of Fame at Oklahoma Baptist University. In 2002, Harris received the first Distinguished Service to ENMURoswell award from the ENMURoswell Foundation. In 2007, the ENMURoswell Oilfield Training Center, which he helped found, was renamed the Lawrence C. Harris Occupational Technology Center.

Harris is survived by son Scott Harris and wife Elaine of Jupiter, Fla. daughter Abby Harris Yates and husband George of Roswell granddaughters Fawn Harris Lawrence and husband Ben of Grand Junction, Colo., Lauren Yates and husband Per JuvkamWold of Plano, Texas, Lindsey Yates Madison of Plano, Texas and grandson Zachary Harris of Tallahassee, Fla. Harris sisterinlaw Marguerite Sanders, formerly of Roswell, lives in Kansas. His daughterinlaw Jan Gammill lives in Fruita, Colo. Harris has seven greatgrandsons, one greatgranddaughter, eight nieces, one nephew, and many more beloved friends and family. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marion Harris daughter, Judy Harris brother, Richard Harris and sister, Fern Harris.

The family asks that memorials or donations in lieu of flowers be made to Eastern New Mexico UniversityRoswell Attn: Craig Collins, P.O. Box 6000, Roswell, NM 882026000 or the Salvation Army of Roswell 612 W College Blvd, Roswell, NM 88201.

Service

Memorial Service

First Presbyterian Church
400 W. Third St.
Roswell, NM  88201
Saturday, April 26, 2014
11:00 A.M.

Memorial Contributions

Attn: Craig Collins
Roswell, NM  88202


P.O. Box 897
Roswell, NM  88202