50th Anniversary Committees

50th Anniversary Committees

This is the final “Face” that will be posted for our 50th Anniversary Year. It is a tribute and a deep thank you to all of the volunteers and staff members who worked on numerous committees before our 50th Anniversary commenced at our October 2019 Annual Meeting, and during the Anniversary Year itself. There may be people that we inadvertently miss, and for that we apologize. We do extend our deepest gratitude for every effort. Here are the committees that were formed to help make the Harris Center’s 50th Anniversary Year extra special:

50th Anniversary Committee

This committee met for the better part of the year preceding the Anniversary Year to look at the big picture of this momentous milestone and to generate ideas. The group strategized on what subcommittees were necessary in order to properly commemorate this milestone, and kept watch on how things were going in general as the Anniversary Year progressed.

Here are the staff, trustees, and community members who served on this committee (listed alphabetically):

Events Subcommittee

This subcommittee helped plan all the special 50th Anniversary outings and events that were held throughout the year — hikes, birding outings, live animal programs, art showings, and so much more. While many of these events took place prior March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic changed all of our lives, a number of them needed to be reconfigured to be held online or rescheduled for a future date when we can all be together again in person. Members of this subcommittee included:

Communications Subcommittee

These folks worked behind the scenes to weigh in on the creation of our 50th Anniversary logos, the content for the 50th Anniversary section of our website, and getting the word out about the Harris Center’s golden anniversary on a regular basis. Part of the website work included producing Meade’s Tall Tales, a collection of many of Meade’s favorite stories that recall wonderful memories and important milestones through the years. Another special section of the 50th Anniversary webpages included selecting and writing the 50 Faces of the Harris Center, which give a snapshot of folks from all walks of life who make up the heart of the Harris Center. A special thank you to Brett Amy Thelen for doing her magic behind the scenes to upload everything “50th” to our website. Members of this subcommittee included:

SWAG (Stuff We All Get!) Subcommittee

Given that we turn 50 only once every half-century, we thought we’d be remiss not to create 50th Anniversary merchandise that the community would appreciate. To that end, we sourced organic and local materials whenever possible to create commemorative t-shirts, hoodies, totes, baseball caps, and more. Our 50th Anniversary commemorative book was created with great care and effort. And John Kulish’s Bobcats Before Breakfast was re-published by Stackpole Publishers, with a new foreward by Mark Reynolds. We held prices extremely close to cost – these items were not meant as fundraisers — in order to keep them as affordable as possible for people. Members of this subcommittee included:

50th Anniversary Fund Subcommittee

So many people have contributed to this special fund, which will launch the Harris Center into the next 50 years. (Donations are still being gratefully accepted). This Board-advised unrestricted fund will ensure that Harris Center trails and lands are able to meet any unforeseen challenges due to extreme weather events well into the future, and enable the Harris Center to pursue innovative ideas and projects related to both environmental education and conservation research. Take a look at a few projects that early donors to the Fund have already made possible! These are the members of this subcommittee who helped with all the behind the scenes activities necessary to make it a success:

Party Subcommittee

Remember the days when we could all gather in person? Ah, memories! This subcommittee spent considerable time planning a lovely evening of celebration that was to take place on the 2020 summer solstice under a tent on the Harris Center grounds. Alas, the pandemic had other plans for us. The food, the tent, the decorations, the fun will happen — just at another point in time – and we so look forward to that special day! The subcommittee members that worked on this special celebration are:

Here’s to the Next 50 Years!

HC 50 years logoYou may have noticed that staff member Susie Spikol’s name appears in every list of every committee – that’s because she chaired the whole 50th Anniversary Year, and we give her a big round of applause for taking on that responsibility and for steering the 50th Anniversary ship so well! We hope everyone in the community has enjoyed participating in some way in our 50th Anniversary Year, which culminates at our Annual Meeting on Friday, October 23, 2020.

THANK YOU to all of you who have worked to make the Harris Center’s 50th Anniversary Year special, despite the unusual turn of events that have happened in the world. And thank you to everyone who helps support the Harris Center in myriad ways, year in and year out.

Here’s to the future – may it be bright!

Contact Us

For more information on the Harris Center’s 50th anniversary celebrations, please contact Lisa Murray at (603) 525-3394 or by email.