1 — Preface

from Links: The Bob Harris Story, 2nd Edition

4 — Family

Links: The Bob Harris Story

– Preface

Young Bob Harris —circa 1930 Rex Beach, whose novels about Gold Rush Alaska delighted American readers early in the Twentieth Century, was attacked one time by a literary critic, Westbrook Pegler, for the outlandishness of his stories. Pegler complained that one had to severely discount anything Beach wrote about Alaska in order to arrive at the truth. When it came time for Beach to pen what he termed his “my-augraphy”, the novelist retorted, “He can discount them by 60 percent and still have something left!”

WHETHER or not any of us ever panned for gold in the Yukon, we all have our own special stories to tell. Yet, few of us ever find the time to write them down. Courtesy of a gentle push from son Rob, here are the stories (purportedly unembellished) of Bob Harris, son of Ed and Dora, husband of Dol, father of Doreen, Nancy, and Rob, grandfather of Alison, Jayme, Lyndsay, and Becky, and friend to all—a collection of tales he’s told and retold for years and years interspersed with yarns not even Dol has heard before. Bob’s story spans an entire century, covers half the globe, and includes precious nuggets panned from the stream of an interesting life. The Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II—they are all here, and much more. Those of you seeking “the truth” must decide for yourselves what percentage of Bob’s tales to discount. In truth, these are one man’s cherished memories, memories he wishes to share with those he loves.

This project was launched in August 2001 during Bob and Dol’s annual visit to Seattle. Son Rob broached the idea of a family history centered on Bob and the Harris family and including material about Dol and the Preece family. After some discussion, the first tentative steps were taken. Jim Ojala, assisted by Mischelle Day, spent three days—including Bob’s 85th birthday—interviewing him and Dol across Rob’s dining room table in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. Copious notes were taken and, after a technical misstep or two, their comments were recorded on tape. Via faxes, e-mails, letters, tapes, and telephone calls the process continued on into the Fall, culminating in a trip to Florida by Ojala and Day in mid-November 2001 for a five day marathon of interviews. Tweakings continued into the New Year, and the final printed version was completed in January 2002. Myriad photographs, letters, documents, and other memorabilia have been used to illustrate the story. As well, a url has been included that will take you to an online file in Adobe Acrobat pdf format which you can download, open, and print if you like. Above all, enjoy!