Donor Snapshot

William M. Harris Family Foundation: A Legacy of Determined Persistence

One of chiropractic’s most prolific donors was drawn to the profession in its infancy—and when he was only a teenager. In the early 1900s, the boll weevil insect plague decimated the family cotton farm of William M. Harris, DC. Seemingly overnight, the once prominent family fell into poverty, a fate many others throughout the South suffered during that time. As a result, Dr. Harris’ father fell into a deep depression, which traditional medicine failed to remedy. Desperate, the family brought in what was at that time a new type of doctor—a chiropractor. That chiropractor was credited with restoring Dr. Harris’ father’s health, and consequently, inspiring him to commit to becoming a chiropractor.

He set his sights on attending Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Dr. Harris worked several jobs to support himself while going to school, and at one point was even forced to return home to work on the farm until his family could manage to assemble the remainder of his $500 tuition. He eventually repaid his family with his first earnings as a practicing chiropractor and established chiropractic clinics throughout the South. After he stopped practicing, Dr. Harris conducted seminars around the world, where he imparted his knowledge and experience and taught young chiropractors how to run their businesses.

While Dr. Harris was a successful chiropractor, he also proved to be an accomplished businessman and investor. In addition to the signature red hat he always wore, he became known for his life philosophy: Determined persistence is the key to lasting achievement.

Determined persistence led him to establish the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education in 1981, which would later become the William M. Harris Family Foundation. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $16 million in grants to support chiropractic education and research. Logan University has been the beneficiary of the foundation’s generosity on many occasions, including its endowment of the namesake William M. Harris, DC Sports & Wellness Center on campus.

In 1998, Dr. Harris hired Jane Goodwin to work for the foundation, handing over more responsibility to her as time passed. As administrator of the foundation and member of its Board of Directors, Jane

Dr. William M. Harris

oversees the administration of $1 million in giving each year on behalf of the foundation and the late Dr. Harris, who died in 2008.

“When Dr. Harris decided to start his charitable giving, he began by unassumingly visiting chiropractic colleges to determine needs and where he believed his money would best be invested to further advance chiropractic education and care,” Jane said. “He was very passionate about the benefits of chiropractic and about propelling the profession into the mainstream.”

Logan University remains indebted to the William M. Harris Foundation for its continued generosity, which includes its most recent award of $375,000 to the university’s Advancing Education, Transforming Lives campaign, an investment in experiential, hands-on learning.

“The William M. Harris Foundation has a long-standing relationship with Logan University,” Jane said. “As a beacon of chiropractic excellence, we are delighted to continue supporting its expansion as it trains future practitioners and propels the healing arts into new and undiscovered territory.”

Visit www.Logan.edu/campus-construction to learn about the ways you can support Logan University, including the Advancing Education, Transforming Lives campaign, or contact the Office of Development at Development@Logan.edu or 636-230-1877.

Jane Goodwin

The William M. Harris, DC Sports & Wellness Center on the Logan Universtiy campus