Harry C. Kariher, M. D. Perhaps no call is so insistent in man as that of personal service to others. It is one of the beautiful elements of humanity; it lies at the root of religion and permeates every brotherhood organization.
The appeal for help made by the physically sick and maimed has led many a noble-hearted young man to prepare for and devote himself to the arduous profession of medicine, occasionally thereby to a large extent turning aside from the pleasures of the leisurely life that ample means might have afforded him, finding compensation in the knowledge of the facts of science and his ability to helpfully apply them. It can but be acknowledged that no body of men as a class give so much of themselves to others as do physicians and surgeons, and that individually few men of this profession have ever been known to turn a deaf ear to suffering they could relieve. The city of Champaign has, among other advantages, a skilled and generous body of medical men, and an eminent representative is found in Dr. Harry C. Kariher, widely known in the state.
Harry C. Kariher was born at Chicago, Illinois, September 22, 1878. His parents were Harry and Mary E. (Sullard) Kariher, the former of whom was born at Delphi, Indiana, and the latter in the State of New Jersey. For many years the father was engaged in the drug business in Champaign, building it up to great importance and thereby amassing a large fortune. The handsome Kariher business block stands as a monument to his thrift and enterprise. Both he and wife were of the highest social standing and were beloved and respected by every one. H. C. Kariher, the elder, died in 1893 and his wife in 1895.
Harry C. Kariher attended the public schools of Champaign, graduating creditably from the high school, after which for two years he was a student in the University of Illinois. Having determined on a medical career, the young man then entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which great school he was graduated in 1903. He returned then to Champaign and engaged here in practice for one year and then took advantage of a favorable medical opening at Seymour, Illinois, and continued in that field for five years, returning then to Champaign, where he has large property interests to look after and a weighty practice that he never neglects, and in addition to these responsibilities is also county physician for Champaign Township.
Doctor Kariher has one of the beautiful homes of the city and a happy domestic circle. He married Miss Gwendolyn Roberts, who is a daughter of Humphrey and Sarah C Williams) Roberts, old residents here, and they have one child, Harry Cullen. Doctor and Mrs. Kariher are members of the Emanuel Episcopal Church. In politics he has always been identified with the Republican party, believing in the justice of its principles. He is interested in different scientific bodies, is a member of the Knights of Pythias and belongs to the Country Club.