Lexington High School - Cats Paw Yearbook (Lexington, SC)

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ln Memory Of Dr. H. Odelle Harman - , ,7 ,,,, ,L .-.4 l, .J The seventeenth century poet John Donne wrote: 'No man is an illand, intire of it selfeg every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maineg if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were, any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankindeg And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, It tolls for theef If it is true that each man is a piece of the continent, then Lexington County became a great deal smaller in size early last Saturday morning Uanuary llj when H. Odelle Harman, Sr. died at his home here. Death, even proceeded by a lengthy illness, is never gexpected, and Dr. Harmanis death was one of the most 'un- expected' tragedies in our community in many years. Even though he had been under treatment for a pain in his chest, few, if any, outside his immediate family knew that he was anything but healthy. His vigor, even in the immediate days prior to his death, was as it had always been, determined, confident and unceasing. Dr, Harman's life was centered around education. He had risen from a teacher, to principal, coach, county superintendent of education, nearly to state superintendent of education, and finally settling in his last position, superintendent of schools of Lexington County District No. 1. Dr. Harman's influence in education will linger on into generations. His policies were always aimed at better education, no matter if they did not exactly suit all the people, all the time. Name any man, any great man, who did not meet opposition during his life. Dr. Harman never let anything stand in the way of what he thought was best for his schools and pupils. t'To those who did not know Dr. Harman, we should state that his entire life was not all education, as it may seem. Quite the contrary. His was a life filled with service and doing. In his Church he served in nearly every capacity, and took a special interest in the work of the Lowman Home at White Rock. He served in many civic affairs, becoming the first president of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 1957. In this capacity, the Chamber would never have became an effective productive organization, had it not been for Dr. Harman. His latest, and probably most loved 'projecti was the Lexington County Hospital. Under his able leadership, the on- again, off-again proposal for a Lexington County hospital, became a reality. He devoted countless hours, traveled, met with commit- tees and literally got the Lexington County hospital on the ground. Fate prevented him from seeing its completion. The hospital, as with anything else he undertook, was done right. If Dr. Harman said he was in something, then you could count on 100 per cent and more from him. He was a doer. He was a man who knew how to do. He was a man who did. His efforts will remain with Lexington County as long as there is a history. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in their hour of grief, but time will heal their sorrow, and then they can remember

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Educator, Religious And Civic Leader the man H. Odelle Harman. A man who touched countless thousands of us, and made us realize that we should never become involved in anything unless we were going to do our best. This we call dedication. And Dr. H. Odelle Harman was dedication-to his country, his schools and his family. 1 Dr. Harman was graduated from Lexington High School, where he later returned to the district superintendent for thirty years. Following high school he earned an A.B. degree from the University of South Carolina in 1929 and his M.A. degree in 1936. During 1945-1950 Dr. Harman served on the board of trustees at the University of South Carolina, receiving this appointment from the South Carolina General Assembly during the governship of the Honorable Strom Thurmond. Following his appointment to the board, he was a visiting professor in the School of Education of the University of South Carolina, 1950-1953. Graduate seminars at the Universities of Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Pittsburg, and South Florida were attended as Dr. Harman constantly showed that the world of education is limitless. Dr. Harman served as a member of the board of trustees of Newberry College, 1950-1962. Eleven of those twelve years were spent as chairman of the board. Dr. Harman received the Doctor of Laws degree from Newberry College in 1955. Only a few miles from where Dr. Harman had received his education, he began his career by teaching at Red Bank School for one year. In 1930 he became principal of the school and in 1933 he accepted the position as Lexington County Superintendent of Education. After serving in this capacity six years, he became Superintendent of Lexington County School District Number One where he served until his death. During Dr. Harman's forty years in the field of education, he was a member of many professional organizations. Locally he was a member of the Lexington County Education Association of which he had been president. Dr. Harman was a member of the South Carolina Education Association and the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. During his membership in the American Association of School Administrators, Dr. Harman was selected along with twenty-nine other educators from over the United States to tour Russia in 1965. The thirty men were allowed to study and observe the educational system there. Dr. Harman was also a member of the National Education Association and Kappa Phi Kappa, an Educational Fraternity. Although Dr. Harman spent all of his professional time working for the betterment of education, he was constantly involved in his church and its work. Dr. Harman was a lifetime member of St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Lexington. He served as teacher for the Men's Sunday School Class and as a member of the official board at St. Stephens Lutheran Church. He served as a member of the Executive Board of the South Carolina Lutheran Synod and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lowman Home, a home for the aged, supported by the Lutheran Church. Dr. Harman served two terms as a member of the Board of Publications of the United Lutheran Church. During those two terms, he traveled all over the United States and Canada. Dr. Harman was a delegate to nine national Lutheran Conventions. Dr. Harman was extremely interested in the growth and development of Lexington County. He realized that the religious and educational development of any generation depends largely upon the influences of the community. Dr. Harman was a member of the Lexington Lions Club, of which he had served as president, He had also served as District Governor of Lions International 32C in 1945. Dr. Harman was unanimously elected founding president of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 1959. He was the only 1 Editoral, The Dispatch-News, January 16, 1969, p. 4. president of the organization to sewe two terms. His most recent civic activity involved the construction of the Lexington County Memorial Hospital. Dr. Harman served as chairman of the County Hospital from its initial stage of planning, The world of business was not void of Dr. Harman's presence. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Lexington, 1946-1966. He then became a member of the Board of the First National Bank in Lexington. Dri Harman served as president of the Lexington County Development Corporation from 1962 until his death. During Dr. Harman's sixty-two years in Lexington County, he never stopped aiding people in all areas of life. He was known throughout the state and nation by those who respected him as a professional educator and a man. The 1969 Cat's Paw Staff finds no better words to sum up what Dr. H. Odelle Harman was than those expressed in the following quote by Robert G. Ingersoll: He added to the sum of human joy, and were every one to whom he did some loving service to bring a blossom to his grave, he would sleep tonight beneath a wilderness of flowersf, 5