Pacolet has lost one of its most influential native daughters and she will be sorely missed. Mayor Elaine Harris passed away Thursday, May 21, 2015, after a struggle with cancer.
Elaine had a profound influence on the Pacolet community. She became a member of the town council and later was elected Mayor in 2001 when the community was still trying to recover from the effects of the mill closing and the loss of several hundred jobs. It seems that Elaine saw her position as Mayor much more than a political office. She saw it as an opportunity to help the Pacolet community family recover from the devastating loss of its main industry. All of her actions and plans were an effort to improve the lives of Pacolet’s citizens.
Her hand and influence can be seen in many varied activities from the Indian Summer Days Festival to the Christmas events at the old Elementary School up to the new Paddle the Pacolet project. She was instrumental to establishing the Pacolet Museum and in the getting the town’s houses and buildings included in the Pacolet Mills Historic District on the National Register.
She started a program to help local elementary school students become aware of Pacolet’s history and to visit local historic places like Easterwood Ford and the Becknell House.
Elaine had a compassion and love for Pacolet and a vision for its future. Pacolet is fortunate that her husband, Phil, her daughter, Allison, and son, Matt, shared Elaine’s time, energy and devotion with the community. She will be a very, very hard act to follow.
Elaine's Obituary from Floyd's Mortuary is as follows:
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