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<< Previous   of   Next >> Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Ray Harman (left) celebrates his 90th birthday surrounded by some of his greatest fans, fourth- and fifth-graders at Kent Prairie Elementary School in Arlington. All eyes are on "Grandpa Harman's" cake as Marlie Griffin (right) opens the box. Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Ray Harman eats a piece of cake as he celebrates his 90th birthday in Theresa Swan's fourth-grade classroom at Kent Prairie Elementary School in Arlington.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, January 8, 2009 A special birthday party Turning 90 doesn't stop Ray Harman from volunteering By Justin Arnold Herald Writer ARLINGTON -- Ray Harman has 60 good reasons to volunteer at Kent Prairie Elementary School. Harman reads with children, helping them with their word comprehension skills and pronunciation. Their smiles and hugs are their own reward, but the cake is a nice added bonus. On Wednesday, Harman turned 90. The boys and girls threw him a birthday party -- doctors orders. "It was part of the deal I made with my doctor," Harman said. "He said that not only should I keep volunteering, but that I should tell the kids they had to throw me a party when I turned 90." Harman sat in a chair, surrounded by children with raised hands and anxious faces, each wanting to ask questions to the man they affectionately referred to as Grandpa Harman. "Do you like spiders?" asked one girl with her hair in a ponytail. "Not really," he replied. Another girl with glasses asked "Have you ever been on a roller coaster?" Harman smiled. "Yes I have, it was very fun," he said patiently. A boy in front of him asked "Do you like antiques?" "Yes I do, seeing as I am one," Harman said. Volunteering in the classroom and helping students work on their reading skills has been good for Harman and was something that his doctor insisted he continue. "At 89 he was getting tired, but he said that coming here and volunteering was one of the things he loved to do," Dr. David Janeway said. "I told him he needed to keep doing it. It's important to keep living life whether you are 20, 40 or 90." Theresa Swan, one of the two teachers who use Harman as a volunteer, has found him to be a role model for the children. "He's great. His behavior, his gentlemanly behavior teaches the children respect," Swan said. "He is very nonthreatening and safe to read to." During the course of his volunteer work, Harman sits with the children individually as they read to him books they bring from home or from the library. "One boy brought in 'Harry Potter' and read it to me," Harman said. "It was over 500 pages. I need to find him, ask him if he finished it." Harman admitted that sometimes the words can go over his head. "I help them with the big words if I know them," Harman said. "But at this age they are already good readers." At the end of the party, Swan's class presented him with a book entitled "The Important Things About Grandpa Harman" in which the class wrote in 1-inch block letters how they admired and loved him. They also helped make a quilt, which he was happy to take home. "Thank you everyone for these wonderful presents," Harman said. "This has all been worth getting old." Reporter Justin Arnold: 425-339-3432 or jarnold@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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