Fundos 94-00-00 - Orrie W. Harris fonds

Orrie Wetherilt Harris was born in Calgary, Alberta on May 14, 1919. He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1946, with a LL.B. and a Bachelor of Arts, and articled under J. Fred Scott, K.C. from 1946 to 1947. On August 11th, 1947, Harris was called to the Bar of Alberta before the Honorable Justice Clinton J. Ford. After being called to the Bar, Harris entered into his solo practice with the opening of an office on 8th Avenue in Calgary, which was a comfortable bicycle commute from his home. Mr. Harris was a fifty-year member of the Law Society of Alberta and practiced in the same downtown law office for the whole of his career. Known for his legal knowledge and expertise, Harris concerned himself primarily in the areas of wills, estates, and real estate law. He was well-known as a conservationist for his ongoing cycling and recycling and in 1991, he received a Green Award from the Calgary Sun for these efforts. It was estimated that Mr. Harris rode more than one million miles on his bike since its purchase in 1938. Mr. Harris, in fifty years of practice, never purchased a scratch pad. Instead, his numerous, meticulous notes were made on recycled paper of every kind, distinctly opposed to the legal professions non-restraint in its use of paper. Making note of this fact, Harris wrote to the Law Society of Alberta protesting this waste. Mr. Harris was married to Roberta Doreen Nixon in 1953, and they had three children. Outside of his family and legal profession, Orrie Harris was noted for his community involvement. He served as President of the Tuxedo Park Community Association for two terms; was active in the Federation of Calgary Communities; and was a dedicated volunteer coach of amateur skating and ice dancing. As a competitive figure skater and dancer in adult dance, Orrie Harris competed and won numerous awards on both the provincial and national levels. Orrie W. Harris died suddenly on February 11, 1998 when he was struck by a car while riding his vintage bicycle to work. Mr. Harris was 78.