Melvin Andre Harris

Melvin Andre Harris known as Pepe to many was born on August 27, 1949 in the Bronx NY. He
was one of four children of the late William McKinley Harris and Laverne Porter. He was a
mommas boy, always looking to entertain his family he was the peppy one dancing and singing
when his brothers and sister did not want to. He was educated in New York’s public school
system which concluded in 1968 when he graduated from the School of Art and Design in
Manhattan. He continued his education in Vermont after receiving a grant for design. He was
enlisted and honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in July of 1969, after which he began his
career as a commercial artist. He worked on numerous ad campaigns including the female
branded Eve cigarettes and Alka-Seltzer, just to name a few. He was a muralist and loved
creating different types of traditional paintings and drawings.
He moved to Mount Vernon New York and married his long time wife Arlette Lundy in 1981,
and they had a son Lamont one year later. After raising Lamont for six years they then
conceived another child Rashard in May of 1988. Melvin still an artist at heart continued his
career in the ad industry in New Rochelle NY at School Guide Publishing as a graphic designer
until his retirement in 2017. After retirement he gained a new found passion for photography
and videography. Constantly behind his lenses, you could find him taking pictures of
landscapes and people everywhere and anywhere around the state of New York. He also filmed
local events for the city of Mount Vernon, including parades or music festivals. He always
wanted to capture the best possible experiences.
In his later years he could be seen walking the streets of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Mount
Vernon camera in hand staring up at the sky. He believed we were not alone in this world and
UFOs and the supernatural became one of his new obsessions. Up until his dying day he
believed that our future was written on the wall and the cosmos was just the beginning of our
exploration.
He was called home on July 4, 2022. He leaves to mourn his wife Arlette, three sons Lamont,
Rashard, and Andrae, One sister Sheila, a brother Vincent, four grandchildren and a host of
other relatives and friends. Pepe will be missed dearly and every time you look at the sky just
know there’s forever someone identified up there amongst the UFOs and spirits. May he sleep
in Peace.

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