Glen A. Harris ’48, Sept. 13, 1923 to June 1, 2014. Glenn A. Harris, a lifetime resident of Vallejo and retired director of public works for the city of Vallejo, passed away at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo. He was born in Santa Rosa to Claude and Selma Harris while his mother was visiting her parents in Santa Rosa. He attended Vallejo public schools and graduated from Vallejo High School in June 1941. He attended the University of California, Davis, on a basketball scholarship until the campus was closed by World War II. He then attended Washington and Lee University studying engineering as part of a U.S. Army’s Advanced Studies Training Program. He served in the Army from 1942 to 1945, most notably with the 84th Infantry Division. On Dec. 1, 1944 he was wounded by German artillery fire in Geilenkirchen, Germany, and awarded the Purple Heart. He was returned to the United States and received an Honorable Discharge in Dec. 1945. In June 1948 he graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.

In 1947 he married Bette Jean Sallade of Vallejo. In 1948 they had a son, Randal Glenn Harris. In 1953 they had a second son, Jeffery Eugene Harris. In 2000 he married Beverly Haden after the death of his first wife, Bette. From 1948 to 1951 he worked as an Assistant Bridge Engineer with the State of California, Division of San Francisco Bay Toll Crossing and participated in the redesign of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge and on the initial design for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. In 1951 he was an Engineer in the U.S. Army Post Engineer’s Office at Benicia Arsenal. In Dec. 1951 he became an Associate Engineer and Deputy City Engineer for the City of Vallejo and was in charge of the major water system expansion for the City of Vallejo. On July 1, 1954 he was appointed to the position of Director of Public Works/City Engineer for the City of Vallejo, a position he held for 32 years. During his tenure the City of Vallejo experienced major expansion, the continued improvement of the city’s water system which resulted in securing control of water resources to protect the city’s needs for future water, and earned the All American City Award.

He was a long time representative to the League of California Cities and served on its Policy Committee for Transportation and Public Works for over 14 years. He also served as the President of the League’s Public Works Officer’s Department for 1974 to 1975. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and in 1983 the received the Samuel Greeley Local Government Service Award from the American Public Works Association. In 2003 he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Santa Clara University’s Engineering Department for his lifetime achievements in the field of Civil Engineering. He was exceedingly proud of this rare honor. He was a 50 year member of the Ben Ali Shrine in Sacramento. He was also a long time member of the Vallejo Elk’s Lodge #559. He received the Elk of the Year award in 1981. He was also a past President of Elks Hall Association. He was a long time Board member and past President of the Vallejo Golf Association.

He is survived by his wife, Beverly; son, Randal; daughter-in-law, Adrienne; stepson, Matthew Haden; stepdaughter, Rebecca Haden-Hahn and; grandsons, Kenneth and Christopher.