In memoriam: Harry Chavanne

In memoriam: Harry Chavanne

BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News staff

Rice University is mourning the loss of alumnus and trustee emeritus Harry Chavanne, who died Oct. 24 — just two weeks short of his 75th class reunion. He was 96.

	HARRY CHAVANNE

A 1933 graduate of Rice with a bachelor’s in economics and business, Chavanne served as a term governor at Rice during 1974-76 and 1976-79 and as a trustee from 1979 to 1982, when he became trustee emeritus.

“Harry Chavanne’s passionate dedication to Rice and his enthusiasm for Rice are evident not just from nearly a decade of service on the board, but also from the generous gifts that he and his wife, Hazel, made to endow chairs and scholarships at Rice,” said Jim Crownover ’65, chair of the Rice Board of Trustees.

The Chavannes established the Chavanne Chair in Religion and Public Policy at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Chair in Religious Studies, the Edward F. Chavanne Scholarship in Religious Studies and the Anna Chavanne and John T. McCants Fund for Student Affairs at Rice.

“It’s amazing to contemplate that Harry’s involvement with Rice spanned all
but about 15 years of Rice’s history,” President David Leebron said. “Few people have been so devoted for so long as Harry. That devotion inspired people throughout our community. We were so pleased to see him at the first football game this year, where he was thrilled by Rice’s victory.  We will miss his presence, and we’re sad that he didn’t quite make it to his 75th reunion, but his contributions to Rice and the spirit of our community will live on.”

Chavanne was honored with the 1984 Distinguished Alumnus Award and the 1988 Gold Medal.

In addition to the positions they endowed at Rice, the Chavannes played a pivotal leadership role in the completion of the fundraising campaigns for Alice Pratt Brown Hall and George R. Brown Hall. They also supported the Mechanical Engineering Lab and made contributions to many other entities at Rice, including the Friends of Fondren, the Owl Club, the Shepherd Society and the Baker Institute.

Born in Lake Charles, La., Chavanne graduated from Rice during the Great Depression. With a gift of $25 from his parents and a loan of $40 from Rice, Chavanne toured England and France. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and then worked for Houston-based Prince Drilling Co. before returning to his hometown to start the Lakeside National Bank, where he served as board chair for 30 years. He had a number of other business interests, including ownership of Burger King franchises, ranching and real estate.

Chavanne was a member of South Main Baptist Church for nearly 70 years. He served as chairman of the deacons there and was an honored deacon. Hazel, his wife of 62 years, preceded him in death.