Alva James-Johnson: Mourning the loss of Morton Harris

It was a hot July day as I sat at my desk working on a story.

My phone rang and there was a stranger on the line.

The man said his name was Morton Harris. He was an attorney at Hatcher, Stubbs, Land, Hollis & Rothschild.

He had been reading a few of my stories about poverty in the Ledger-Enquirer and wanted to share some interesting research that he had done.

So we set up an appointment to meet at the law firm over the next few days.

When I went to the big office building on 12th Street, I met Morton in the lobby.

He introduced me to a couple of young interns in his office. Then we all went upstairs for a conversation.

During the meeting, Morton shared his concern about the rise of poverty in America. He had done extensive research that suggested the gap between the rich and poor was getting wider.

We agreed to keep in touch and planned to get together again soon.

In the weeks that followed, Morton called me on two other occasions -- once to suggest that I do a story about a successful black businessman, the other to invite me to a Columbus High School Alumni Association meeting.

I attended the meeting and learned about a fundraiser they were planning for disadvantaged students.

That was in August 2013, and it was the last time I met with Morton Harris.

Then on Aug. 3 of this year, I heard the bad news. Morton had died unexpectedly during surgery.

I couldn't believe it. He was so full of life the last time I saw him. And we never finished our conversation.

Those were the thoughts that rushed through my mind.

I volunteered to write a story about Morton's untimely death.

That week, it was one of the top stories on the Ledger-Enquirer website, which I credit to his well-lived life.

This week, I attended an event at the Columbus Public Library where Morton's name was mentioned.

This time it was in connection with the film, "The Raising of America," which highlighted inequities that prevent some children from thriving.

Warren Steele, founder and president of Muscogee County Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy, told the audience that Morton had been instrumental in planning the event.

"He gave a lot of good input and guidance on how to structure this evening," Steele said to the group of 100 people. "So although Morton isn't here physically, I believe his spirit is here and his handprint is on this evening. So I acknowledge him for what he's done."

The audience applauded while I reflected on my brief acquaintance with Morton Harris.

The impact of his life lives on.

Alva James-Johnson, 706-571-8521. Reach her on Facebook at AlvaJamesJohnsonLedger.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Mourning the loss of Morton Harris."