Elmer B. Harris, 80, went to be with his heavenly father on December 23, 2019. His parents, Lera Mae Mitchell and Alton C. Harris, preceded him in death. The gravesite committal service will be at 1:15 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 27, 2019 at Alabama National Cemetery, Montevallo. Family and friends may also attend the memorial service at 2 p.m. on Fri., Jan. 3, 2020 at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood, Alabama.
Elmer is survived by his wife of 57 years, Glenda Steele Harris; daughter, Lori Elmore (David); son, Tommy Harris (Suzanne); grandchildren, Carlyn Tyree (Brent), Harrison King, Sarah King, Connor King, Ashley Meinhardt (Daniel), Austin Harris, Houston Elmore, and Cade Elmore; one great-grandson, John Thomas Tyree; two brothers, Curtis Harris of Roswell, Georgia, and James R. Harris (Ethamae) of Denver, Colorado; and a special group of nieces and nephews; Glenda’s much loved family; and friends too numerous to count.
Elmer was born and lived his life in Clanton, Alabama, with a short time in Aliceville, Alabama. He attended elementary and high school in Clanton. His higher education continued at Auburn University, where he earned two degrees in Electrical Engineering and then a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Elmer has been a life-long Auburn supporter and Auburn sports fan. He served on the Auburn Foundation Board and the Alumni Board.
Through the years, he has received several Honorary Doctorate degrees from other universities. Elmer’s career at Southern Company spanned a total of 44 years. He began his career at Alabama Power as a co-op student and progressed through the ranks to Chairman and CEO from 1989-2002. From 1984-1989, he was employed at Georgia Power. There he was responsible for getting Vogel Nuclear Plant on line.
Elmer was a person of great vision. He took advantage of his position to accomplish many things that will benefit the people of Alabama for years to come. He formed the Alabama Power Company Foundation, which has become one of the largest charitable corporate foundations in the state. Always very interested in economic development, he was instrumental in the founding of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. One of the results of this venture was the coming of the Mercedes Automobile Company. Elmer and Alabama Power were intimately involved in this project which then resulted in other automobile projects and supporting companies.
At the beginning of his time as CEO, he saw a need for a child care center near Alabama Power in downtown Birmingham. He sent representatives all over the country and abroad to observe successful models, then joined with other corporations to build the center now named the Elmer and Glenda Harris Early Learning Center (HELC). Elmer encouraged Glenda in the formation of the Alabama Power Service Organization in 1990. It is still active with 10 chapters across the state.
For 25 of his 44 years at Southern Company, Elmer enjoyed a military career in the Air National Guard where he was able to achieve his life-long dream to fly jet aircraft. He trained to fly several of these jets at Webb Air Force Base and then completed his career at Dannally Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama on weekends. His last assignment was with the State organization of the Air Guard. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Another assignment Elmer enjoyed was serving as the Honorary Consul General to Japan from the State of Alabama. During those years, he made many trips to Japan. On one occasion, he chaired the Japan-Southeast U.S.’s annual meeting in Mobile, Alabama. After he retired as Consul General, he was given a prestigious award by the Emperor of Japan: The Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays.
Elmer has always been an active member of his church, often serving as a deacon. He and Glenda are long-time members of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and the Agape Life Group. Serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of Samford University, Birmingham has been a great blessing for Elmer. He became a life-time trustee. It was exciting to him to be able to help provide a president’s home on the mountain that has hosted the City of Birmingham as well as Samford. Elmer has enjoyed life on the lake since his retirement in 2002.
He has had time to watch his precious grandchildren grow up having fun with their friends on the water. Rotary Club has been an important part of Elmer’s life since he became a member of the Downtown Rotary Club of Birmingham. For the past few years, he has helped with the revitalization of the Pell City Rotary Club with its new location, many new members, and a growing foundation.
Elmer has remained active on some boards through retirement, such as the Meyer Foundation and the Maxwell-Gunter Foundation Board. Because of his love of people, he has maintained contact with old friends and new ones, always current with his hometown. As a young man, he and his brothers were disc jockeys at the local radio station WKLF in Clanton. He recently took part in the station’s 70-year celebration.
The family of Elmer Harris requests that, in lieu of flowers, gifts be made to . He would be pleased with gifts sent to Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood to support their many forms of outreach locally and worldwide.
