John Harris, who searched for Utopia, dies in Boca
Tags: Generoso Pope, John Harris, Lantana, National Enquirer, Utopia
| Wednesday 28 October 2009 11:29 am
Harris
John Harris‘ claim to fame always was that he went on one of the most colorful assignments in the Boca-based National Enquirer’s colorful history.
Straight from the desk of Enquirer owner Generoso Pope, Harris received a form spelling it out: “Is there really a Utopia left in this world? What’s it really like to live in Tahiti and those other pipe-dream paradises? Let’s . . . write a series of articles.”
Harris ended up spending the next four-and-a-half months circling the world on his search for Utopia.
Said Harris’ colleague at the time, Malcolm Balfour: “He didn’t find Utopia!”
Maybe, Harris finally did, 36 years later.
Harris was found dead at his home in Boca’s University Park neighborhood Oct. 9. His death certificate lists a heart attack and hardening of the arteries as the cause. He was 76.
A rare bird in the newsroom because he didn’t drink, chain-smoke or fudge quotes, Harris was hired by the Enquirer out of Cincinnati Post in Ohio.
“He was known as ‘Honest John,’” said Iain Calder, a former editor-in-chief. “He was the ultimate southern gentleman. And he did get the greatest assignment ever given to any reporter in any newspaper.”
Within months, Harris embarked on the trip that took him to dozens of exotic, at times unknown, locales. At first, it was the Mediterranean, off Greece and Spain, and the Channel and North Sea near England and Scotland. Then he moved on to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Fiji, Samoa, Molokai, Bali, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Mauritius, and many more.
Thing is, every time Harris thought he’d found something close to Utopia, Pope at home shot him down. Tahiti? No good. There was a rush hour and parking meters in the capital. Bora Bora? Too many hotels. American Samoa? Too dirty.
At one point, Harris is said to have called in he discovered Utopia, in the Western Samoa. But when Pope found out there were phones, it was decided that Utopia shouldn’t have phones, and Harris was ordered back to Lantana. He’d spent well over $100,000.
“Well, they did hire him because he’d do anything he was told, anything at all, with no questions asked,” Balfour said. “He was perfect for that assignment. Even if no story was ever published.”
“Utopia may be more a state of mind than a physical place,” Harris later wrote. “I found my Utopia when I got that around-the-world, all-expense-paid, assignment to search for it.”
Harris will be buried Saturday in his hometown of Morganton, N.C. He was divorced and had two step children.
This is well-written and entertaining — a nice little tribute. I can only imagine what it was like having those kind of resources for a story (a feature story no less). Nowadays, a reporter can’t hand in a mileage sheet for more than $50 w/o getting a dirty look.
John Harris was my desk-mate at the Boca News, and taught me so much about newspapers. He was a great man and was one of the most ethical reporters I ever met in a newsroom.
His first-hand stories from the “Utopia” trip were absolutely unbelievable. It made even the most cynical reporter want to keep reporting! I’m really sad today that I didn’t keep in touch with him when I left The News.
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I worked with John at the Enquirer in the 70s, and admired him for his modest, warm ways and scrupulous ethics. I’ll always recall his drawling:’Helluva maaan.” I spoke with him a few months ago and he was as mentally vibrant and youthful a Southern Gentleman as ever. He truly was a Helluva Maaan.
Worked with John on a number of projects from 1970 to 1978. Regretfully not on the Utopia assignment. John was a great guy to work with. A cool master of the understatment and a team player who understood what photographers needed to do their best.
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I worked with John while he was a reporter for the Boca News. He was always courteous and attentive to my PR pitches and one of the few gentlemen in the journalism business. He will be sorely missed by his colleagues and friends in the PR sector.
John was not only a class act and a journalist who could talk his way into any story and out of trouble, even with Chris Curry, but one with a great sense of humor.
Lord knows we had plenty to laugh about. And about the Utopia assignment…word is that John sent a postcard with a topless South Pacific beauty and the message “I found it…..”
John, hope you spent your last years with a lot of smiles because you certainly brought them to other people.
I was saddened to hear that John had died. I worked with him at the Boca Raton News in the late 1990s and even more than editing his outstanding writing, the joy of working with John was hearing him tell stories of his adventures in journalism.
Does anyone remember the Coleco Adam system he was still using before he got into PCs? I had done a story on my old Atari system, and he invited me over the house to see his Adam, which he used to document his family’s story. And he showed me the backup system he bought, another Adam system picked up at a clearance sale, complete with a price tag from Kay-Bee Toys.
We kept in touch after I left the news and his last e-mail to me was Sept. 20, when he thanked me for putting him in touch with someone living in Bradenton whom he worked with at the Enquirer.
The world’s a sadder place without him.
John Harris was a sweet guy and a great guy to work with. I’m so glad to have known him. And now he’s on assignment in the great beyond. I wonder if heaven would be utopia enough for Generoso Pope, LOL. Well, John would be the guy you’d want to send to find out — smart, dedicated to his work and a straight shooter.
I worked with John at the Boca News. He was a sweet, warm person and one of a dying breed of journalists. It truly is a shame to see him go at a relatively young age, as his mom lived well into her 90’s and I personally was hoping John would do the same.
John and I worked together at the National Examiner from 1990-1995, and remained close friends and constant e-mail buddies. He was never at a loss for something to share with me, and I was always delighted to hear from him. John was a consummate storyteller, in print and in person. What a collection of stories his life was!
John had a knack for making everyone feel special, especially when he was beaming at you over a tall beer. God bless him!
Della Attisani
John was editor once a long time ago at the tiny weekly newspaper in my hometown, the Cynthiana Democrat. He had moved on to Cincinnati by the time I went to work there, but he and his legendary exploits help guide me through what turned into a 37-year career. I was saddened to hear of his passing.
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