By Amy Arnett
They say all good things must come to an end. James H. “Buck” Harless worked his entire life to become the exception to that rule. His charitable spirit, his faith and his devotion to people will be forever impressed upon the hills of West Virginia and beyond.
Born in Taplin, WV, Harless was raised by his aunt and uncle in Gilbert, WV after his mother passed away. He began the traditional, hard-working life of a coal miner in his younger years before becoming part owner of Gilbert Lumber Company. The path from there wasn’t easy, but eventually, Gilbert Lumber Company became International Industries, Inc., the multi-million-dollar company that gave Harless his financial success. Rather than leave West Virginia or move to a metropolitan area, Harless built his company and lived his entire life in Gilbert. He ate his lunches in the local restaurants and chatted with locals and visitors, and he was a committed member of the community.
The contributions that Harless made to the great State of West Virginia—and the nation, for that matter—were grand in number and of the utmost sincerity. He held firmly to the belief that his fortunate monetary gains were best used in diversity rather than singularity. His outlook on his charitable giving is best told by Gary Simmons, a longtime friend and colleague of Harless:
“I first got to know Buck Harless when I had the opportunity to make a documentary film about him and his life in 1985. An assistant and I spent days at a time shooting in and around Gilbert, seeking insight into this fellow who I discovered was easy-going, gentle and warm hearted.
“One of the subjects we tried to understand was the scale of his wealth, a subject that he consistently deflected.
“One evening my assistant, Frank, and I were having dinner, and Buck Harless walked in and sat at our booth. He said he was impressed by our dedication because he had seen us several times, working from early morning until sunset. He asked how the production was going.
“‘Quite well,’ I answered, ‘except I can’t seem to get you to talk about your wealth and your charitable giving.’
“He just smiled. ‘Since you don’t have your camera or recorder with you, I’ll say this: some things should be private, between you and the Almighty. They shouldn’t be used for self-promotion or inflating your ego. That’s the way I treat wealth. I’m fortunate to have business success, and I worked hard to get here today. But I’m just the steward of that wealth, and I owe the Lord my best efforts to spend it wisely for the greatest good. Sometimes, it doesn’t go easily. I recall a time that I made a substantial financial commitment to a project that was going to do a lot of people a whole lot of good. When it came time for me to make my contribution, I didn’t have the money. So I went to the bank and borrowed the money in order to keep my word.’
“The man impressed the dickens out of me at that moment: borrow money to make a charitable contribution! How many of us would do that? I remember that conversation every once in a while. It sums up Buck Harless for me. It embarrassed me, because I would not consider such an act, and it focused me on trying to become a better person.”
In his contributions to the education of future generations, his investments in the people who he felt were in earnest and his love for and ability to inspire those with whom he lived and worked, Buck Harless is far from gone. His legacy will continue on in our hearts and in the seemingly endless ways he shared his many types of wealth with West Virginia. ν
Photography from “A Most Fortunate Life”
2 Comments
I didn’t know who Buck Harless was until one night I heard him speak at a Foundation dinner for West Virginia State University. I’ve yet to hear any other speaker connect, and deliver with the power and passion as he did that night. Since that time I have always admired him and wished only for the opportunity to say thank you.
I know no big words but to say that without the charitable and caring attitude of Mr. Harless, many of our children would NOT have been financially able to go to college. Thank you seems feeble, but this is how feel.