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Harris Kempner Weston
OHIO — Harris Kempner Weston, son of David F. Weston and Sara Kempner Weston was born on March 12, 1918 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He died peacefully at home on June 28, 2009. Harris was a loving husband and father and grandfather whose patient and sympathetic ear extended to all he encountered. He believed that each of us has a responsibility to leave the world a better place than he found it. He lived his life true to this philosophy.
He was an attorney of Counsel with Dinsmore & Shohl, having been a partner there for over 50 years. He attended Philips Exeter Academy, graduated cum laude from Harvard ‘40, and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1946. His legal education was interrupted by WWII, where he served in England as a Lt. in the Army Air Force. He was a member of the Harvard Law Review and, after graduating, served as clerk for United States Supreme Court Justice Harold H. Burton. In 1963 he successfully argued a case before that same court.
He devoted much of his time to community service, and as such served as president or trustee of numerous organizations in Cincinnati. During his tenure at the Jewish Federation he led the merger of the two major Jewish social service and fundraising organizations. Other service in the Jewish community included Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, University of Cincinnati Jewish Studies Program and the Plum Street Temple Preservation Fund. Service to city-wide organizations included the City Charter Committee, Charter Research Institute, Bridges for a Just Community, The Cincinnati Institute, United Way and the Queen City Association. Service to the arts community included The Contemporary Art Center, The Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, The Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Music Scholarship Association. He also did his part for tennis. He was a founder of the Indoor Tennis Club and held many offices of the Ohio Valley Tennis Association. Social organizations included The Ridge Club, The University Club, The Harvard Club, as well as a charter membership in the Bankers Club. His national offices included Chairman of the Harvard Law School Fund and Harvard Law School Association.
He has received multiple community honors. Several of note are the National Conference for Community and Justice (1978), the Neil McElroy Award (1988), United Way of Greater Cincinnati Humanitarian Award (1991), Friend of Jewish Studies (1995), University of Cincinnati Community Service Award (1995), Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Community Service Award (2001), the Apple Award of the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati (2001), and the Visionary Award of the Contemporary Art Center (2004). The Weston Art Gallery at the Aronoff Center and a gallery at the Cincinnati Art Museum are named for Alice F. and Harris K. Weston.
In addition to receiving awards, he also established them to honor those whose commitment to community service matched his own. He established the Harris K. and Alice F. Weston Professional Awards for Exemplary Professional Service to the community at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati in 1990, the Harris K. Weston Institute of Law and Public Policy at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati in 1999, the Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Directorship at the Contemporary Art Center, and the H.K. Weston Chair of Humanities at Harvard College.
Although he was born and raised in Cincinnati, he had a love of his mother’s hometown of Galveston, Texas and served on the boards of several family businesses as well as being Vice Chairman of the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund. He served continuously for over 50 years.
He is preceded in death by his daughter Virginia K. Weston and survived by his wife of 60 years Alice F. Weston; his 2 daughters and their husbands, Dr. Donald L. and Carol W. Roberts of Billings, Montana, and Dominick M. and Dr. Barbara W. Sasser of Galveston, Texas; and 6 grandchildren Sara Roberts and fiance Brian Tatro, Dr. Michelle and Dr. Melissa Roberts, and Emily, Michael and Zachary Sasser.
Services will be at Plum St. Temple on Thursday July 2 at 1:00 p.m. Visitation at the Temple on Thursday begins at noon. Friends may call on the family at their residence from 7-9 p.m. Thursday and 4-6 p.m. on Friday. Contributions to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, Bridges for a Just Community, The Charter Committee of Cincinnati, or the United Way would be appreciated.
Published June 30, 2009
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