Along with Roger Price and Al Ellis, Deb Harris is at the same time among the newest and most veteran members on the BWNA Board of Directors, having returned after serving previously. Professionally, Deb has taught in Oregon middle schools, high schools, and universities for more than 40 years and is currently a senior instructor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. A highly-respected educator, she has accrued accolades including the National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 1993 and National K-12 Health Education Professional of the Year in 2002. When not teaching, Deb loves reading, trying out new local restaurants, great wines, and walking the neighborhood with friends.
How long have you lived in the neighborhood and what’s your favorite part of living in the neighborhood?
I have lived in the neighborhood for a very long time. I was brought home to where I live today from Emanuel Hospital as a newborn in 1953. A few months earlier, my parents moved into their brand-new home that they had contractors build, on a lot they had purchased on the corner of NE 47th and NE Shaver Streets. I lived there until the age of 18 when I left for college, but spent each summer at home. I moved out in 1976 to SE Portland, but my parents maintained their home and I visited weekly. In 1998, I moved back to NE Portland into an apartment, and shortly before my father died in 2006, I purchased the home from him. It has been the only real “home” I have ever really known.
My favorite part of living in the neighborhood is the fact that I can walk everywhere and that I know it “like the back of my hand,” after living in it for such a long time. I also love the fact, as my dad used to say in living there, “that I can get to almost any part of the city in 15 minutes”…well, a little more than that now with the increased traffic!
What’s your favorite neighborhood store or restaurant, and why?
My favorite stores are Beaumont Market and The Arrangement. I love that I can go to The Arrangement at the last minute for a gift and I can ALWAYS find it there and get it gift wrapped. Beaumont Market is my “go to” store for last minute gifts and food items as well. I love the fact that they are open on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day as I always seem to forget something at the last minute and they always seem to have what I need.
I love Amalfi’s for my favorite restaurant as I would go there as a young child, when it was in what is now Starbucks, with my parents and grandparents. I can still envision it as it was then, with red and white vinyl tablecloths and that pizza that still tastes the same today. I also enjoy Eclectic Café, Alameda Brew Pub and many nights I swing into BlackBird Wine Shop for a glass of wine at the end of a long day.
What are the issues you’re looking to help address as a member?
I love participating on the BWNA Board as it keeps me abreast of what is happening in the neighborhood, gets me involved with policies and the happenings of the most important things that the Board needs to address. I am looking to become more involved in the “anti-demolishing” of BWNA homes and reducing crime in the neighborhood. Keeping our neighborhood safe and affordable to everyone is important to me.
Thank you for your service, Deb!