Joe Paul Harris was honored for his many years of community service on the second Sunday of hot August at the clubhouse in Admiral Baker Park.
Joe the Legend left this earth on May 7th. Jogging through the crowd of attendees, it was obvious Joe, the umpire and coach, touched and inspired a lot of people. Baseball was his passion; however, wherever he could be of service to his community, he would get involved, including coaching Pop Warner football.
“I first met Coach Harris when I played football for Skyline. He was a great coach, mentor, and friend. I had to be here today to support his tribute; he meant a lot to me. He will definitely be missed,” Lydell Burston shared.
The attendees were invited to share their stories about Joe the Legend. Guests were treated to a slideshow, an all-you-can eat buffet, and the soulful sounds of Carmelia ”Toot” Bell.
Old friends had an opportunity to catch up and hang out again, and the special event was the perfect opportunity for new friendships to begin.
President of the San Diego County Umpires Association, Ryan Bell, had this to say about his good friend and co-worker:
“Joe was the guy who would spend his extra time teaching the process of becoming a high school umpire, and he got paid absolutely nothing for it. Not too many people are willing to do that. Every single week he would be on the field or in the classroom teaching. He was an amazing person; that’s why you see all these people here today.”
Joe Paul Harris left a lot of fond memories for his family and friends to share on that special day at the clubhouse at Admiral Baker Park.
“He was such a kind and wonderful man. I felt in my heart I just had to do something for him, but I could not have done this by myself,” co-event coordinator Patricia Bryant shared.
“I reached out to his friends and the umpires association, and they stepped up and did an outstanding job helping me put this together. I want to thank them so very much and everybody that came out today in support of Joe.”
