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Edward G. Harris Collection

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center [Contact Us]3401 Market Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

The Very Reverend Edward George Harris was Chaplain of the University of Pennsylvania and Boardman Lecturer in Christian Ethics from 1950 to 1961. He was born in Boston on April 30, 1917 to Ulysses S. and Lillian Dennett Harris. He completed his secondary education at Boston Latin School, graduated from Harvard College in 1938, and received his Bachelor of Divinity from the Episcopal Theological School in 1941. That same year he was ordained an Episcopal priest. In 1942, he was awarded his Master of Sacred Theology at the Union Theological Seminary. During World War II, Rev. Harris enlisted in the Army as chaplain, serving in the European theater. Until 1950, Rev. Harris was assistant minister of the Church of the Ascension in New York and rector of St. Mark's Church in Southborough, Massachusetts.

At the University of Pennsylvania, Rev. Harris's duties as chaplain included giving monthly sermons at the University Chapel in Irvine Auditorium, advising the president in the area of religious policy, overseeing the University religious program, and occupying the position of Boardman Lecturer in Christian Ethics. In addition to these administrative and teaching duties, Rev. Harris counseled students in both spiritual and personal matters as well as took part in committees within the University and in Philadelphia. At the 1961 University midyear convocation, President Gaylord P. Harnwell conferred upon Rev. Harris the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.

After his tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, he became the dean of the Divinity School of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. In 1974 the school merged with the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Rev. Harris continued his position as dean. He died on March 28, 2010 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, survived by his wife, Sherry L. Barlow, and three children: David B. Harris, Jennifer D. Harris, and Geoffrey P. Harris.

The bulk of this collection consists of Rev. Harris's sermons and lectures for All University Chapel at Irvine Auditorium from 1950 to 1961. It includes both typed scripts and handwritten drafts, with accompanying chapel programs. The Correspondence series documents the logistics behind Rev. Harris's published book reviews, journal articles, and panel discussions; it also documents communication with President Harnwell and responses to Daily Pennsylvanian articles. The Miscellaneous series includes photographs of Rev. Harris, documents detailing the duties and responsibilities of the university chaplain, book reviews he wrote, journal articles in which he was quoted or took part in discussion, a book he published Prayers for a University, and a copy of the Class of 1961's Sophomore Annals that is dedicated to him. There are also additional lectures and sermons he gave outside of his services, especially about Zionism and Judeo-Christian relations.

The Edward G. Harris Collection is arranged in six series; Sermons; Correspondence; Degrees, Certificates, Awards; Photographs, Writings and Talks; and Miscellaneous, which are arranged alphabetically. Within the Sermons series, there are three subseries: sermon text, chapel programs, and Boardman lectures.

Donated by Jennifer Harris in 2019 (accession number 2019:24).

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center
Finding Aid Author
Anna Pugsley
Finding Aid Date
July 2019
Access Restrictions

Access to collections is granted in accordance with the Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.

Collection Inventory

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"Saul: Trapped by Self," handwritten draft and typed, 1949 Jan 16.
Box 1 Folder 1
"Why Religion?" handwritten draft and typed, 1950 Apr 27.
Box 1 Folder 2
"A Faith for Our Day," handwritten draft and typed, 1950 May 16.
Box 1 Folder 3
"God and Man's Anxiety," handwritten draft, 1950 Nov 14-1954 Nov 25.
Box 1 Folder 4
"Be Not Anxious," typed.
Box 1 Folder 5
"Called by God," handwritten draft and typed, 1950 Oct 26-1955 Aug 14.
Box 1 Folder 6
"The God who Comes," handwritten draft and typed, 1950 Dec 3-1961 Jul 9.
Box 1 Folder 7
"The God who Carries," handwritten draft and typed, 1950 Dec 10-1961 Jul 16.
Box 1 Folder 8
"God Made Small," handwritten draft and typed, 1950 Dec 14.
Box 1 Folder 9
"The God who Cares," handwritten draft and typed, 1950 Dec 17.
Box 1 Folder 10
"The Time for Decision: About Face to God," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Jan 9-1956 Jun 6.
Box 1 Folder 11
"God and Our Cleavages," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Feb 15-Mar 4.
Box 1 Folder 12
"Jesus Seen through Hostile Eyes: He Stirs Up the People," typed, 1951 Mar 11.
Box 1 Folder 13
"God's Eternal Yes," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Mar 12-1958 Apr 13.
Box 1 Folder 14
"Time, Eternity, and the Bible," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Apr 16.
Box 1 Folder 15
"With Great Power," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 May 13-1956 May 20.
Box 1 Folder 16
"Religion with a Cutting Edge," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 May 15.
Box 1 Folder 17
"Christianity with a Cutting Edge," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Jun 10-1953 Dec 4.
Box 1 Folder 18
"Creed or Chaos?" handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Oct 25-1955 Mar 6.
Box 1 Folder 19
"God's Living Word," handwritten draft and typed, 1951 Dec 13-1954 Sep 6.
Box 1 Folder 20
"For God and Country," handwritten draft and typed, 1952 Jan 15-1955 Apr 21.
Box 1 Folder 21
"Hollow Men and the Bread of Life," handwritten draft and typed, 1952 Mar 17-20.
Box 1 Folder 22
"The Hope that Conquers," handwritten draft and typed, 1952 Apr 21-1958 Aug 31.
Box 1 Folder 23
"Nice People or New Men?" handwritten draft and typed, 1952 May 19-22.
Box 1 Folder 24
"God: Lackey or Lord?" handwritten draft and typed, 1952 Oct 19-23.
Box 1 Folder 25
"Faith and the Menace of Suspicion," handwritten draft and typed, 1952 Nov 18.
Box 1 Folder 26
"First-Hand Religion," handwritten draft and typed, 1952 Dec 16-1954 Dec 19.
Box 1 Folder 27
"The Hope of a New World," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 Jan 8-1955 Sep 19.
Box 1 Folder 28
"Asking the Right Questions," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 Feb 19.
Box 1 Folder 29
"Avoiding God," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 Mar 17.
Box 1 Folder 30
"For Sceptics Only," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 Apr 21.
Box 1 Folder 31
"God in Focus," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 May 14.
Box 1 Folder 32
"Winning Life's Prize," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 Nov 17-1959 Sep 28.
Box 1 Folder 33
"God's Own Invasion," handwritten draft and typed, 1953 Dec 15-1954 Dec 26.
Box 1 Folder 34
"Life's Call to Action," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Jan 14.
Box 1 Folder 35
"First-Hand Experience of God," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Feb 25-1960 Jun 11.
Box 1 Folder 36
"Religion in the Indicative Mood," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Mar 23.
Box 1 Folder 37
"Freedom in God's Harness," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Apr 27.
Box 1 Folder 38
"Unpurchasable Men," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Oct 21-1955 Jul 24.
Box 1 Folder 39
"Your Spiritual Ceiling," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Nov 11.
Box 1 Folder 40
"The Heart of Christmas," handwritten draft and typed, 1954 Dec 14-1955 Sep 18.
Box 1 Folder 41
"Ideas with Landing-Gear," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Jan 11-1962 Jul 22.
Box 1 Folder 42
"Cheap Religion," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Feb 22.
Box 1 Folder 43
"Sex Ethics and God," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Mar 17.
Box 1 Folder 44
"God Alcohol, and You," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Apr 28.
Box 1 Folder 45
"An Old Creed in a New World," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 May 17-1962 Aug 5.
Box 1 Folder 46
"Partisans of God," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Oct 4-1960.
Box 1 Folder 47
"The Meaning of Faith," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Oct 20.
Box 1 Folder 48
"Life and the Call of God," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Nov 8.
Box 1 Folder 49
"Making New Life," handwritten draft and typed, 1955 Dec 15-1961 Jun 29.
Box 1 Folder 50
"Integration and New Life," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 Mar 15-1960 Jul 31.
Box 1 Folder 51
"Alive to God," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 Apr 19-1957 Mar 3.
Box 1 Folder 52
"Fervent in Spirit," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 May 15-Nov 11.
Box 1 Folder 53
"Transformed Lives," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 Oct 2-1957 Sep 15.
Box 1 Folder 54
"In God's Time," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 Oct 25-1957 Jul 21.
Box 1 Folder 55
"Surprised by Love," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 Nov 13-1957 Aug 18.
Box 1 Folder 56
"This Visited Planet," handwritten draft and typed, 1956 Dec 13-1957 Aug 4.
Box 1 Folder 57
"How Wrong Can You Be?" handwritten draft and typed, 1957 Mar 14.
Box 1 Folder 58
"God's Manifesto," handwritten draft and typed, 1957 Apr-1958 Jul 6.
Box 1 Folder 59
"On Spiritual Tiptoe," handwritten draft and typed, 1957 May 14.
Box 1 Folder 60
"Religion in the Making," handwritten draft and typed, 1957 Oct 1.
Box 1 Folder 61
"Zest for Living," handwritten draft and typed, 1957 Oct 24.
Box 1 Folder 62
"The Enounter of Faith," handwritten draft and typed, 1957 Nov 21-1960 Mar 27.
Box 1 Folder 63
"The Approach of the Infinite," handwritten draft and typed, 1957 Dec 17.
Box 1 Folder 64
"The Art of Being Alone," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 Mar 13.
Box 1 Folder 65
"What Really Matters," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 Apr 17.
Box 1 Folder 66
"A Time to Build," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 May 13-1961 Jun 4.
Box 1 Folder 67
"The Pioneer of Life," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 Sep 30.
Box 1 Folder 68
"The Sense of Wonder," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 Oct 23-1963 Oct 27.
Box 1 Folder 69
"God Is No Bargain," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 Nov 20.
Box 1 Folder 70
"In Touch with God," handwritten draft and typed, 1958 Dec 16.
Box 1 Folder 71
"The Importance of Being Eccentric," handwritten draft and typed, 1959 Mar 12-1962 Mar 13.
Box 1 Folder 72
"The Moment Eternal," handwritten draft and typed, 1959 Apr 16.
Box 1 Folder 73
"Ingredients of Greatness," handwritten draft, 1959 Oct 6-1960 Aug 14.
Box 1 Folder 74
"Enjoying God," handwritten draft, 1959 Nov 19-1960 Jul 24.
Box 1 Folder 75
"Eternity's Emissary," handwritten draft and typed, 1959 Dec 15-1960 Aug 21.
Box 1 Folder 76
"The Strange Concern of the Bible," handwritten draft and typed, 1960 Apr 5-1961 Feb 23.
Box 1 Folder 77
"Weapons for Good," typed, 1960 Sep 27.
Box 1 Folder 78
"God's Revolution," typed, 1960 Nov 15.
Box 1 Folder 79
"The Return to Reality," handwritten draft and typed, 1961 Feb 14.
Box 1 Folder 80
University Chapel Programs, 1950-61.
Box 1 Folder 81
"The Valley of Decision" lecture text, 1956 Feb 14.
Box 1 Folder 82
"Mission to Mankind" lecture text, 1957 Feb 12.
Box 1 Folder 83
"God and Our Daily Work" lecture text, 1958 Feb 11.
Box 1 Folder 84
"Ethics in Ferment" lecture text, 1959 Feb 10.
Box 1 Folder 85
"Doubt and Faith: A Study in Existentialism" lecture text, 1960 Mar 10.
Box 1 Folder 86
"The Urgency of Ethics" lecture text, 1961 Apr 11.
Box 1 Folder 87

Harris's letter to DP editor re church attendance, 1950 May 2.
Box 1 Folder 88
Letter by Harris to DP editor, 1951 Nov 14.
Box 1 Folder 89
"To the Student Body" re cheating, 1952 May 12.
Box 1 Folder 90
Letter to President Harnwell offering religious advice for a speech, 1955 Apr 22.
Box 1 Folder 91
Correspondence re nursing student-submitted panel questions, 1957 Nov 18.
Box 1 Folder 92
Questions submitted by graduate nurse students, 1957 Dec 6.
Box 1 Folder 93
Correspondence re Jehovah's Witnesses article, Harris's contribution, 1958 Jan 9-Dec 24.
Box 1 Folder 94
Correspondence re student-submitted panel questions, 1958 Feb 12.
Box 1 Folder 95
Correspondence re Jehovah's Witnesses journal article discussion, 1958 May 23.
Box 1 Folder 96
Correspondence with George H. Riley to publish Bible verse in the Bulletin, 1959 Jan 12.
Box 1 Folder 97
Correspondence re Jehovah's Witnesses article reprints, 1959 Jun 22.
Box 1 Folder 98

Alpha Epsilon Delta Membership Certificate, 1954 March 24.
Box OS 1 Folder 4
Alpha Phi Omega Membership Certificate, 1954 May 19.
Box 1 Folder 134
University of Pennsylvania Honorary Degree Diploma, 1961 February 4.
Box OS 2
Boston Latin School Diploma, 1934.
Box OS 1 Folder 1
Certificates of Ordination, 1941.
Box OS 1 Folder 3
Harvard University Diploma, AB, 1938.
Box OS 1 Folder 2
Houston Hall Student Board of Directors Life Honorary Membership Certificate, 1961 May 8.
Box OS 1 Folder 6
Episcopal Theological School Diploma, 1941.
Box 1 Folder 132
National Conference of Christians and Jews Certificate of Recognition, n.d.
Box OS 1 Folder 7
Union Theological Seminary Dipolma, MS in Theology, 1942.
Box OS-1
University of Pennsylvania Honorary Degree Citation, 1961 February 4.
Box 1 Folder 138
University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees Resolution, 1961 January 13.
Box 1 Folder 137
University of Pennsylvania Dental Alumni Society Certificate, 1961 April 28.
Box OS 1 Folder 5
Houston Hall Student Board of Directors Certificate, 1959-1961.
Box 1 Folder 136

Photograph of Edward G. Harris celebrating at St. Andrew's Chapel, Philadelphia Divinity School, n.d.
Box OS 1 Folder 8
Photographs of Edward G. Harris, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 127
Israel Trip Photographs, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 128
Israel Postcards, ca. 1960.
Box 1 Folder 129
Photographs of Edward G. Harris - Houston Hall, ca. 1950.
Box 1 Folder 130

Article "The Physician, the Clergyman, and the Patient in Terminal Illness", 1951 Jun.
Box 1 Folder 101
Article "Chaplain's Corner", 1958.
Box 1 Folder 105
Article "Blood Transfusion and Jehovah's Witnesses", 1959 Apr.
Box 1 Folder 107
Address before the Philadelphia Zionist Organization of America, 1960 Nov 22.
Box 1 Folder 109
Address by The Very Rev. Edward G. Harris, Dean of the Philadelphia Divinity School, before the Luncheon Club of the B'nai B'rith Council of Greater Philadelphia, 1962 Feb 27.
Box 1 Folder 117
"A Number One Job" re the importance of the chaplain's job on campus.
Box 1 Folder 123
Excerpts from an address at the Interfraternity Council banquet, 1958 Mar 13.
Box 1 Folder 104
Harris's book review for "Live and Help Live" sent to academic journal, 1953 Jun 2.
Box 1 Folder 102
Harris's book review for "The Illusion of Immortality" sent to academic journal.
Box 1 Folder 122
"The Nurse's Concern and Responsibility for the Religious Care of the Protestant Patient", n.d.
Box 1 Folder 121
"Prayers for a University" [collection of prayers Rev. Harris delivered to university-wide congregations], 1961 Jun 30.
Box 1 Folder 116
"Suggested Itinerary for the Inter-Faith Group" in Israel, Jun 17-Jul 6.
Box 1 Folder 124

President Gates speaking at the University Chaplain's Religious Council dinner, 1938 Feb 28.
Box 1 Folder 99
Harvard Class Day Program, 1938 June 22.
Box 1 Folder 131
DP issue with article announcing Harris's university-wide sermon, 1950 Oct 25.
Box 1 Folder 100
University of Pennsylania Religion on Your Campus Brochure, ca. 1951.
Box 1 Folder 133
For page in the Freshman Handbook published by the Christian Association, 1954 Apr 30.
Box 1 Folder 103
Class of 1958 Junior Annals Dedication, ca. 1957.
Box 1 Folder 135
Class of 1961 Sophomore Annals [dedicated to Rev. Harris], 1958 Dec 12.
Box 1 Folder 106
"Religion on Your Campus" pamphlet, 1960.
Box 1 Folder 108
Issue of American Christian Palestine Committee periodical "Land Reborn" addressed to Rev. Harris, 1960 Dec.
Box 1 Folder 110
Report of the Chaplain, 1960-61, 1961.
Box 1 Folder 111
Handwritten draft of chaplain philosophy and duties, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 112
"The Office of the University Chaplain", 1961 Jan 12.
Box 1 Folder 113
Convocation pamphlet, 1961 Feb 4.
Box 1 Folder 114
"Recommendation regarding University Chapel", 1961 Jun 7.
Box 1 Folder 115
Random quotes, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 118
Biography of Jacob Boehme, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 119
Hymn, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 120
List of book titles and blurbs, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 125
News article referenced in Harris's sermon, n.d.
Box 1 Folder 126

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