“There are no words, nor songs that any of us may sing to express what you meant to this world,” a friend wrote on his Facebook wall, along with dozens of other posts.
Growing up in the twin cities of Minnesota, Harms attended the St. Thomas Academy, a Catholic military day school for young men in Mendota Heights.
While in high school, Harms participated in a theater program oriented toward taking a stand against bullying. An American Catholic newsletter from March 2008 said that he auditioned for several roles, “drawing laughs for his attempts at a hamster’s voice” and landed the part of a bully. “Having been bullied in grade school, Eric has definite ideas of how he’ll parent his own children someday,” the newsletter explained. “My kids are definitely not getting bullied,” it quoted Harms as saying. “I’ll be on the watch.”
Harms carried his sense of humor and altruistic spirit with him to college. Even in his short time on campus, he reached out to as many people as possible, immersing himself in all the University had to offer him—and giving what he had to offer in return.
“He entered Columbia eager to be a student and become involved in our community,” Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger wrote in an e-mail sent to the University on Sunday afternoon. “In a short time, Eric became active in the SEAS Class of 2012 Council as a class rep and was an enthusiastic member of the LLC Gateway community.”
Even before moving into his suite on the eighth floor of Hartley Hall, Harms—who was accepted early decision—delved into college life over the summer by participating in the Columbia Urban Experience. Varun Gulati, SEAS ’10, who was Harms’ friend through CUE, described Harms as “energetic ... always enthusiastic and upbeat.”
Even when campaigning for Engineering Student Council elections, Nathan Lee, SEAS ’12—who also ran for ESC—recalled Harms as a good sport who immediately put people at ease. “He made not just me, but everyone, always feel at home. He was such a friendly, approachable, approachable guy,” Lee said. “When it came to running his campaign, he was very professional. Some people tore other people’s posters down, but that was something he never did. And even during the campaign, we were still buddies.”
A Facebook photo album of Harms’ dorm reflects the wide range of interests that transformed a small room into a home with personality—complete with a “Souvenirs of New York” section, a “Legends of Rock” section, a wall of comic books, and a “Jazz Wall.”
On Harms’ Facebook wall, friends left heartfelt messages to thank him for his loyalty, his energy, and his musical talent.
"When I head, I listened to my jazz library and thought," one friend wrote. "There is no possible way you could ever leave this world. Your impact reaches farther than you could ever imagine."
Kim Kirschenbaum contributed reporting to this article.