28 Feb 2022 Morrilton Rotarian recognized with Vocational Service Award

By Morgan Zimmerman

On Feb. 1, Rob Harris’ 50th anniversary as a Rotary Club member, he was recognized for his many years of dedicated service with the Rotary International Vocational Service Award. The award is presented annually to someone in the community who has exemplified outstanding professional achievement while maintaining very high ethical standards.

Harris and his family have been serving the Morrilton community for more than a century. Harris Funeral Home was started in 1905 by his grandfather and has been a staple in the community for more than a century, making it the oldest family business in Conway County. In 2014, the family made a substantial investment in Morrilton by building a new facility that will serve families for many generations to come.

Morrilton Rotary Club President Doug Cahill said, “We were all so proud of Rob when he built the new Harris Funeral Home facility on Oak Street. It’s a fitting tribute to the first-class service he and his family have provided our community for over a century.”

Harris, the third generation to take on the family business, graduated from Morrilton High School and then from Ouachita Baptist University before attending the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and becoming a licensed funeral director. He said, “I always knew I would carry on the family business. As a kid of a funeral director, you just grow up working in the business. My daughter, Haley, is also a licensed funeral director and works with us at the funeral home now.”

Harris, who has previously been honored with the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow recognition for his significant contributions to The Rotary Foundation, is also a third-generation Rotarian. He said, “My grand-uncle and my dad were both members and past presidents of the Morrilton Rotary Club. Rotary is a family tradition.”

Harris said, “For me, Rotary is about the fellowship with the other members and business people of Morrilton. That’s what makes the club great – just getting to know everyone.” 

He added that the award came as a complete surprise. “I was really surprised and very honored. It made me think, ‘It’s kind of a weird thing to be the oldest member of Rotary Club.’ 

It’s a good feeling and also not a good feeling,” he said with a laugh.

The Rotary Vocational Service Award recognizes individuals who exemplify integrity and high ethical standards in their vocation and in Rotary, use their vocational talents to serve the community, and participate in or lead club activities that enrich the membership. As a past president of the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association, a past Funeral Director of the Year, and National Funeral Directors Association Committee Member, it is clear the impact Harris has had on his profession over the years. The impact on his community was further displayed when Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer declared Feb. 1, 2022, as Rob Harris Day in Morrilton.

When asked what he loves about living in the 501, Harris said, “Being able to come back and make a living in our community and not having to leave or find another profession has been a blessing. I’m a hometown boy, and I feel lucky for that.”