By Meg Hibbert
Contributing Writer
Longtime Salem resident Gertrude W. Harris was all smiles as she accepted a proclamation from Salem City Mayor Renee Turk at the April 8 Council meeting.
The 100-year-old was saluted for founding the Salem Senior Center – where the activities hall now bears her name – and for scores of years of service during the 82 years she has lived in Salem.
Harris and sons E. Wayne Harris and Jonathan T. Harris, plus other family, friends and Bethel Church members posed for photographs after the proclamation.
Among her accomplishments were starting the first kindergarden for black children in Salem, with a friend. Harris has also volunteered over the years with the Girl Scouts of America, the Roanoke Valley YMCA, the NAACP and many other civic activities.
