INTRIGUING EDUCATOR/MENTOR
After a more than a five- decade career in education and an equally long commitment to community service, Harris Nussbaum has earned nearly every local, state, and national award possible. The octogenarian, married for 47 years to wife Johanna, has received commendations from two California governors, he is a three-time Kiwanis Service to Youth Award winner; he’s been nominated and honored numerous times as Napa County and Napa Unified School District Teacher of the Year, and he was recognized by the Gandhi Institute and Peace Table for his contributions to peace and nonviolence. He even has a bench dedicated in his honor from the students at Vintage High School. The list of his accomplishments and involvements covers three pages. Janna Waldinger, student services manager at If Given a Chance, cannot say enough about the somewhat shy Nussbaum who collaborates with IGAC in identifying high school students faced with formidable social, family, medical, and economic challenges. “Through his work as an advisor at New Technology High School, Harris changed the lives of hundreds of our students,” said Waldinger. “Harris was recognized by our organization as the advisor who advocated for and nominated the most students to our foundation.” Said the selfless Nussbaum, a Charleston, South Carolina native who moved to Napa in 1955, “I love people, and I have loved teaching for the past 38 years and developing programs that help both the community and students. I estimate that I’ve taught 30,000 students. Helping them find the key to personal growth has been a delight. To give is to receive.”
Article By: Fran Miller