On November 21, 2020, Dr. Walter Harris, Jr. joined the heavenly choir of angels after living a life of excellence in service to God. Walter was an extraordinary husband, incredible father, wonderful brother, dedicated son, steadfast friend, and remarkable colleague. He brought warmth and joy to everyone he encountered and will be sorely missed. Those closest to Walter miss his hilarious comedic timing, soulful singing, smooth dancing at parties, and his wealth of wisdom. After his passing, a close friend of the family described Walter as, “a beautiful man blessed by God with a beautiful mind and a beautiful voice, which he not only used for praise to his Maker but also to speak words of kindness, justice, and truth to his fellow human beings.” While Walter never bragged, he did beam with pride when we boasted of his hard-earned accomplishments (and handsomeness), so we will do that now.
Walter was born on January 27, 1947, in Selma, Alabama. He was identified as a gifted musician at a young age. He was encouraged by his parents to hone his skills by participating in the choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Born of his love of traditional hymns and African American spirituals, Walter earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in music at Michigan State University. While there, he became a classically trained piano accompanist, vocalist, and performer.
Walter’s talents as a musician and performer were significant. He performed throughout the country with his college, civic, and other choirs and performed internationally with a number of choral ensembles. Walter performed bass baritone operatic roles in various works, including Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni, and frequently in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Walter was a prolific piano accompanist, having accompanied hundreds of professional and amateur singers and instrumentalists in solo performances.
Walter began his career in higher education administration at his undergraduate alma mater, Knoxville College, in Tennessee in 1969, where he spent 11 years in a variety of positions including Chair of the Department of Arts and Music, Director of Choral Activities, and Director of the Division of Arts and Humanities. A resident of the Phoenix metropolitan area from 1980-2000, Walter spent the next 20 years at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe where he held various teaching and administrative positions. As a professor, Walter taught in the area of music history and had a particular interest in the music of African Americans and its relationship to the music of Africa. He carried out field research in the countries of West Africa, including Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, and Senegal. As an administrator at ASU, he rose through the administrative ranks to become Assistant Dean, Acting Dean, and Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts. He was later named Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and eventually Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, a position he held for eight years. Throughout this time, his commitment allowed him to mentor hundreds of students and faculty. Throughout this 20-year span, Walter joyfully served as the minster of music for Southminster Presbyterian Church. For his many professional achievements, Walter’s lifelong passion was working with nonprofessional church choirs and helping them bring a deeper spirituality to worship through music.
Walter then served as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of Music at North Carolina Central University. In 2002, he was appointed Senior Executive Fellow at the University of North Carolina (UNC) System Office in Chapel Hill where he worked with the Office of Public Affairs and University Advancement on state and federal issues pertinent to higher education. Lastly, from 2003 until his retirement in 2018, Walter served Loyola University New Orleans first as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and later as a Distinguished Professor of Music. Walter helped lead the university out of the challenging season following Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures of New Orleans in 2005. He led the university through that difficult chapter with faith, perseverance, and expertise.
Walter was deeply respected and was known for his steady demeanor, his wisdom and leadership experience, his faithful churchmanship, and his warm and welcoming spirit. In addition to his dedication to higher education, Walter contributed to every community he lived in with active civic engagement. Over the years, Walter has served on a number of national, regional, and local arts, education, and civic committees, boards, commissions, and accrediting bodies including premier organizations such as: Alpha Alpha Boulé New Orleans, a subordinate of the Grand Boulé Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; American Bar Association; American Choral Directors Association; International Congress of Voice Teachers; Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem Grand Priory of America; National Association of Teachers of Singing; National Public Radio affiliate KJZZ; National Public Radio affiliate WWNO; New Orleans Youth Orchestra; Outstanding Educators of America; Presbyterian Association of Musicians; Phoenix Boys Choir; Phoenix Symphony Orchestra; St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church; and, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Walter is preceded in death by his parents Walter (Sr.) and Arie (Bailey) Harris, his sisters Susie (Harris) Edwards and Delia (Harris Melton) Norfleet, and his brother Michael Harris.
Walter is survived by his loving wife Dr. Henrietta Augustus Harris, and his two devoted daughters and three adoring grandchildren: Ayana (Harris) Teter, her husband Aaron, and their children Evangeline, Naomi, and Ezra (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); and Askala (Harris) Calhoun and her husband Destry Calhoun (Dallas, TX). He will be greatly missed by his sisters Shirley Green (Henry), Marie Sturdivant (Charles), Dorys Green (Christopher), Marjorie Cannon, and countless nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
In 2018, as a retirement gift for her husband, Dr. Henrietta Augustus Harris established the Dr. Walter Harris, Jr. Endowed Scholarship at Loyola University New Orleans in honor of her husband’s dedication to Loyola, its students, and the pursuit of higher education. The scholarship was created especially for talented minority students enrolled in Loyola’s College of Music with financial need.
In lieu of flowers, to celebrate Walter’s life and his dedication to helping others, the family requests gifts to the Dr. Walter Harris, Jr. Endowed Scholarship. Gifts can be made online at: http://giving.loyno.edu/harris, or via mail to The Dr. Walter Harris Scholarship, Loyola University New Orleans, 7214 St. Charles Avenue, Box 909, New Orleans, LA, 70118. The family also requests your participation in learning preventative measures for cardiovascular disease, which claims one in four lives, by visiting www.LegacyWeLead.com.
Walter’s remains were inurned in the columbarium at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans on Sunday, January 10, 2021.
A memorial service will be held at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at 2 p.m. In light of the CDC's new guidelines regarding Covid-19, all individuals who have been fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear masks or socially distance during worship services and all other church activities. Since we are now allowed to gather at full capacity, reservations will no longer be required. As a covenant community, we trust our fellow church members to care for one another by adhering to existing protocols and by respecting those who, for various reasons, continue to mask and maintain their distance from others. For persons unable to attend, the service will be live streamed at 2pm central time on the church’s You-Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDDhdWy45ayBbuymlMK88eA.
More information can be found and condolences can be sent through the Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Homes and Cemeteries website www.lakelawnmetairie.com
“Some lives go out in song, the breath toward music, the fingers toward dance.” Walter, we are grateful you filled our lives with such a glorious melody.
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