Denard '65 and Kay '67 Harris are adamant that their biology and geography degrees from ECU were the key to getting good jobs after graduation. Now, the couple is giving back to the departments that led to their career success.
"We just want to help any part of those departments that are important to us and hope ECU will continue to be a positive influence in eastern North Carolina," Kay said.
Both Denard and Kay have fond memories of ECU, from enjoying football games and campus life to nights spent happily studying in the library. Denard was a freshman walk-on for the football team but jokingly describes himself as more of an expert dummy holder. While there was plenty of fun, "chasing our degrees came first," Denard said.
The two were so dedicated to their studies at ECU that not even their wedding could make them miss class. The Harrises met while walking behind Cotton Hall in 1962 and married in Jarvis Memorial Chapel in 1963. They spent the weekend celebrating but made sure to be back in class on Monday at 8 a.m.
Denard and Kay returned to ECU for graduate school in 1968 to pursue master's degrees in geography and biology, respectively.
"We had an absolute great experience together going back to school as grad students," Denard said. "It was just a treat." The graduate program also encouraged them to connect and socialize with professors, leading to relationships with "some of the most amazing, talented people," he added.
Jobs soon brought them to Columbia, South Carolina, for work at an international highway engineering firm for Denard and the University of South Carolina for Kay. However, Denard's thirst for education still wasn't quenched, and with Kay's unwavering support, he earned a doctorate in public school administration from USC.
After 30 years in South Carolina, the Harrises returned to North Carolina and bought Portside Marina in Morehead City. They still operate it to this day. They also quickly became re-involved in ECU activities. A former classmate and marina tenant, Keats Sparrow, recruited them to serve on the advisory commission for the College of Arts & Sciences, which they have been doing since the early 2000s. They've also recently become members of the anthropology advisory committee.
"We make monthly deposits to the ECU Foundation, but are in a position to share more, which is why we included ECU in our wills," Denard said. "We don't have a specific vision for our gifts but feel very comfortable with what the ECU Foundation does with our money. Our donations to the College of Arts & Sciences have been open ended. We just felt it was going to a good cause and they knew better what to do with it."
