The daughter of a single mother from Arkansas, Dr. JoAnn Harris- Bowlsbey ’53 had her sights set on completing her education at Wheaton College and becoming a teacher. 

“I had no thoughts or aspirations beyond being a teacher,” JoAnn says. “Of course, in my day, women did not have the broad range of possibilities that they do today.” 

To pay for her education, JoAnn’s mother, Annie E. Harris, served as a cook in the College’s dining hall. JoAnn earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and chemistry, and began teaching Spanish at York High School after graduation. She went on to gain master’s degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, and a doctorate in counselor education from Northern Illinois University (NIU). She became a university professor at NIU before going on to serve as an assistant vice president of American College Testing (ACT) for 16 years. She then joined Kuder Inc., where she has been a vice president and executive director of product development for the past 10 years.

In her mother’s honor, JoAnn began the Annie E. Harris Scholarship Fund in 2014 to help students in financial need. In its first year, 16 students benefited from the scholarship funds, and in its second year, 14 students received assistance. 

“I established the scholarship at Wheaton to honor my mother because she placed so much value on education. There is no way that I could have had the life I have had without her hard work,” JoAnn says. “I am placing my investment in young people attending Wheaton who are in the same financial position that I once was in. I hope that those young people will go out and be salt and light for Christ and his kingdom.”