Dear Freda,
Marcia and I are sorry for your loss. I enjoyed the opportunity to work with Basil, on the board at Tillicum Beach and will miss him. Jim & Marcia Smallman

Dear Freda, I so enjoyed working with Basil for the Western Neurosurgical Society.  He was a wonderful person in addition to being a fine neurosurgeon and teacher.  He will be sorely missed.  Ron Young.

Growing up as a child with Dr. Harris as a neighbour meant being exposed to a man of medicine who was also wordly, scholarly, witty, and wry.  Firm but kind, he put a stop to our mischief that went over the line while humorously tolerating that which was good natured and fun.  His gentlemanly southern accent and approach to life made for a more colorful childhood and I am grateful to have had the chance to have him as a presence in my early years.  Condolences and warmest regards to Freda and Basil Jr.

Dear Freda, Elizabeth, Kathryn, Basil and Family's,
Where do we start, raising children, 46th Street, carpools, Lakeside, Haunted Houses, red bikes, and all the memories we shared over the years.
Our Friend will be missed!
Bill & Bettylee Cramer Family

Dr Harris had a unique method of teaching neurosurgery which was difficult on first year residents. He would examine and question both knowledge and reasoning of his students. When I was a new resident this was a trial by fire as he always left me with more questions than answers.  There was no recourse but to look it up in an era before there were neurosurgical text books. But by the time I advanced to chief resident status  I had some knowledge to manage his questions I found him to be an excellent source of judgement and reasoning.
I admired is clincal courage and perseverance particularly.

Dear Freda and family, We are so sorry for your loss, but also want you to  know how much we enjoyed getting to know you and Basil at the neighborhood parties and gatherings. You both made them all the more fun to attend.

Basil Harris was one of my teachers at UW, and many of the techniques I used in the operating room came from him. He was always clear-headed under pressure, a valuable asset for a surgeon. He was a marvelous teacher, a good surgeon and a talented researcher.

A unique man, excellent teacher with a wry sense of humor.  The longer you knew him, the better he got.  He trained me well and became a friend as we both aged.  Freda was his keel.  My wife Flo and I will dearly miss our friend and my mentor.

Randy Smith
San Diego, CA

As one of the many Neurosurgical Residents who trained at the U of W, Basil was one of my favorite professors, always full of energy, a wry sense of humor, and ready to share what he loved to do and do well.  Because he was the only staff not trained at the UW, he had many different and sometimes quirky surgical techniques, and he enjoyed adding spice to our education.  He was a hard taskmaster but when we went out of our way to do things the way he wanted them done, it was a joy to prepare for his assaults on our apprentice experience, our immature reasoning, and our surgical and diagnostic skills.  We always informed the beginning resident of Basil's method of questioning and some of his unique answers, so as to avoid unduly prolonging Saturday Rounds purely for his entertainment.  But we never forgot his lessons.

He greatly cared for his patients and they responded with gratitude and loyalty.  In practice, patients I referred to him for a second opinion appreciated his candor and honesty.  I believe he did more cases than any other in the Department and was always ready to take on new challenges.  Although I did not really know him outside of the neurosurgical realm, it is nice to know he had many other interests.  There is no question that after Freda and his kids, neurosurgery was his primary love, his life's calling, and he excelled at it.

I was fortunate to train under him and I know that thousands of patients remember him fondly and were glad to have been helped by him.

Ken Peirce
Author of Volume 1 of "A Neurosurgery Resident's Manual or How to Avoid a Basilar Impression…"
Retired, Group Health Neurosurgery

Although I, as a pediatric cardiologist, I rarely worked wwith Basil  on a neurosurgical problem, except when I deveoped a pesky spinal disk, and he successfully treated it with NSAIDS rather than surgery!  (That proved to me that you could safely 'ask a barber if you needed a haircut.' 
We spent many a lunch together at the cafeteria of the UWMC, where very few faculty had lunch, and we really got to know each other. We shared many interests, and we were both outspoken in criticism of the administration, except for his first chairman that we both admired. Whe Basil retired, I missed him a great deal. He almost convinced me to settle on Camano Island, but since I have never retired I remained in north Seattle ffor easier access to the Hospital, but we continued to keep in touch, and I will continue to miss my very good friend.
Warren Guntheroth, MD, Professor of Pediatrics.

OBITUARY

Albert Basil Harris

January 19, 1929 – May 6, 2012

Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills Funeral Home & Cemetery

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