Bennette Harris

Ancestors

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Biography

Bennette Harris was born in Virginia

Bennette was born on 12 Feb 1954 at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, the son of James Bennett Harris and Sarah Louise Powers.^[1] Bennette's childhood was spent first in Portsmouth, Virginia, and then in Norfolk County (which later became the city of Chesapeake), punctuated by a year in Anchorage, Alaska in 1961--62.^[2]

Bennette graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1976 with a B.S. in Honors, with Distinction, in Mathematics.^[3] He completed an M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin in 1978, and an Ed.D. in the College Teaching of Mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 1982, under the direction of Dr. Marvin Keener.^[3]

Bennette has had a life-long love of music, both performing (singing, trumpet, guitar and harp) and listening (mostly classical and folk). He met his wife Susan in 1978 when he joined H.I.S. Christian Singers, led by the renowned Art Becknell.^[2] Bennette and Susan were married 28 July 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin.^[4]

For most of his career, Bennette taught Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, first as an Assistant Professor (1982--88), then as an Associate Professor. He served as Chair of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences from 2002 until 2008. He retired from teaching in 2011.^[2]

As a second career, Bennette joined the staff at Epic Systems Corporation (an Elecronic Healthcare Records, or EHS, software company) as a UNIX Systems Engineer, working there from 2011 until 2022.^[2]

Now "really" retired, he enjoys flower gardening, and is also working on a book tentatively titled "All the Angels of the Bible," patterned after the famous series by Herbert Lockyer. He also founded and plays first trumpet with The Village Brass, a brass ensemble based in the village of Belleville, WI.^[2]

Bennette and Susan have two children and four grandchildren.^[2]

Research Notes

• The explanation for the extra e in the spelling of Bennette would benefit from documentary evidence.

Sources

1. ↑ Virginia birth certificate in the possession of Bennette Harris, 4 May 2023.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Bennette Harris. Personal recollection, 4 May 2023.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Diplomas in the possession of Bennette Harris, 4 May 2023.
4. ↑ Marriage certificate in the possession of Bennette Harris, 4 May 2023.