Harriet’s love of new ideas and experiences drove her to excel in her studies and other pursuits. Her father’s death when she was only 14, and her mother’s ability to carry on alone supporting her 5 children, made a deep impression on Harriet.
Harriet graduated as Salutorian of her class at Alpine High School in 1945. She then attended Sul Ross University, graduating with her BBA in 1949 with the highest GPA in her class. Midway through college, Harriet took a break to work at the Marfa Air Force base, where she eagerly acquired many bookkeeping, accounting and cash management skills.
Harriet earned her Masters in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin (with outstanding grades) in a time when women were not readily accepted into the profession.
Harriet moved to San Antonio to work for Marquis Eaton at Eaton & Huddle (later Pete Marwick/ KPMG) where she completed the practice hours necessary to earn her CPA in 1951. Harriet was active as a speaker in professional seminars and on television panels.
In 1953, Harriet’s brother David introduced her to his tennis partner, Toby Herns, originally from Venezuela and Trinidad. Harriet and Toby married in 1954, and had 3 children over the following 8 years. Toby continued working for Dow Chemical and Harriet initially worked for a Freeport accounting firm. In 1965, Harriet founded her own practice, ultimately called Harriet Herns, CPA, PC. Toby died unexpectedly in December 1971.
Harriet served many years as President of the Altrusa Club of Brazosport, as well as 20+ years as the Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairperson for Brazoria County Youth Homes, Inc. She also was a member of League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and spent many years as a parent member of the Coastal Cities Aquatic Club. A lifelong lover of the arts, Harriet was a board member of Brazosport Center Stages, the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra, and St. Timothy’s Arts & Recital Series.
Locally, Harriet served many years on the Pastoral Council at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, was an annual sponsor of the Brazosport Facts Newspaper in Education (NIE program) as well as Habitat for Humanity, and was a member of the Lake Jackson Downtown Retailers Association.
Harriet loved travel. Her destinations over the years included London, Rome, Paris, Lausanne/Geneva, Florence/Venice, Nice/MonteCarlo, Denmark, Russia (as part of a People to People delegation), big game viewing locations in Africa, Venezuela and Trinidad, as well as Mexico and Canada. (including a trip to the 1964 World’s Fair).
Harriet gladly served her community as a CPA for over 50 years. Her retirement pursuits included gardening, family and friends gatherings, swimming in her pool and avid reading.
Harriet was a lifelong student of her Williams family tree, tracing back through ancestors, who included frontierspeople, statesmen, oil men, and service people in American conflicts back to the French & Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War, ultimately back to England and Wales. Throughout her life, Harriet was an organizer of family reunions, many massive, in West Texas and at Surfside beach, which always included passionately passing on family history.
Harriet was most proud of her five children, eleven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Her greatest joy was supporting them in any and all of their activities, attending their events as frequently as possible. Every family member cherished her “bear hugs” and never doubted for an instant her all-in loving support.
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