Arthur James “A.J.” Harris, II, J.D. ’68

Arthur James "A.J." Harris, II, J.D. '68

Enjoying Rewards of Philanthropy

Arthur James “A.J.” Harris, II, J.D. ’68, enjoyed a long and prosperous legal career that spanned from public service on Capitol Hill while attending GW Law School to head of the federal affairs office for CIGNA Corporation, a global health service company. It was always his intention to leave a scholarship fund for The George Washington University Law School upon his passing. A.J. had already established a charitable remainder annuity trust to ultimately benefit his philanthropic interests. However, upon receiving a family inheritance in 2001, A.J. was encouraged by his wife, J.T., to start the fund sooner rather than later so he could see the impact that his donations would have on future generations of students.

“He was putting away money every month for these scholarships, but I mentioned that it might be more rewarding to start the scholarship right away,” says J.T. “After all, how often do scholarship recipients get to meet their benefactors?”

A.J. took that advice and made a current gift to establish the Arthur James Harris II Scholarship Fund in his lifetime. He later also added the Law School as a beneficiary of a retirement plan—and the combination of current funding and testamentary gifts has resulted in a very generous scholarship fund.

“A.J. always made himself available to meet the recipients for lunch or a drink, and he found that very rewarding,” says J.T. “He enjoyed being able to meet with them and to actually see the investment in action.”

A.J. died in October of 2011, leaving behind his wife, two step-sons, and several grateful legal scholars who benefited from his generosity, including Ana Jara, Class of 2013 A.J. Harris II Scholarship recipient.

“The scholarship that I have received has without a doubt changed my life”, says Ana. “With [this] financial support, I have been able to begin my journey to satisfy my goals and one day return to my community to make a difference.”