James L. Harris

James L. Harris, 61, passed away peacefully with his mother by his side on December 7, 2025 following a valiant battle with colon cancer. Jim is survived by his adoring mother, Mrs. Donna Harris, and was predeceased by his father, Mr. James F. Harris, and younger brother Larry D. Harris. In addition to his wonderful mother, Jim is survived by an army of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, former students and co-workers at Wichita North High School and dear friends. He genuinely loved you all!

Jim was blessed with both an amazing intellect and incredible work ethic. Even while attending Wichita State following high school graduation, Jim was never without a job, allowing him to both make/save money and to contemplate what his first major move as an adult might be.

Jim sensed that the time was right to open a new chapter of life in 1989, when he moved to the East Coast and enrolled at The University of South Carolina. Columbia may have been a long way from home, but Jim simply thrived. While attending Carolina, Jim also worked and was quickly promoted to roving manager over all three of Jack Shah's "Sub Station II" restaurants, then a wildly popular and busy Columbia eatery. But despite the full-time hours of the job, Jim also took 6-12 hours of classes every semester, was a fixture on the Dean's List and received his hard-earned Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1995. He followed that up by being awarded a Master's Degree in Teaching in 1998, again from the University of South Carolina.

Jim taught AP History for several years at Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS in South Carolina before returning home to Wichita to be close to his family. In 2017, he accepted a job offer from Wichita North High School, teaching history and quickly becoming a student favorite, influencing innumerable young RedHawks to be the best version of themselves, with many crediting Mr. Harris for giving them the necessary tools and belief in their abilities to realize that college was a realistic goal. In addition to his love for his pupils, Jim also considered the faculty and staff at Wichita North to be his second family. He absolutely cherished his time at North High and made it clear that many of the best times of his life were spent teaching on the campus at the corner of West 13th N and Rochester. Go Redhawks!!!

An avid world traveler, Jim visited at least 12 foreign countries, often chaperoning groups of his students. He sincerely believed that his history students would benefit greatly from experiencing the world around them, another example of his ability to lead and mentor others outside of the classroom. As a teacher, Jim was simply THE BEST!

Finally, it must be mentioned that Jim absolutely LOVED watching University of South Carolina football, rarely missing a televised game. As Jim would often say, "Go Gamecocks"!!!

In lieu of flowers, Jim requested that donations be mailed (and checks made payable) to "North High Alumni Association", 1437 N Rochester, Wichita, KS 67203.

A visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, December 15, 2025 at Culbertson-Smith Mortuary, 115 S. Seneca, Wichita, Kansas 67213. Graveside service will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at White Chapel Memorial Gardens, 1806 N. Oliver, Wichita, Kansas 67208.