James Warren Harper — husband, father, uncle, engineer and member of the Von Braun rocket team — was called home by his Lord on August 5, 2016.
He was born on a farm just outside Reform, Alabama, the eldest child of Lacy and Elizabeth Harper. He was the brother of two sisters (both deceased) — Ruth Harper (Briggs) and Margaret Harper (Malone).
As a young man, he accepted Christ as his Savior and Lord and became a member of Stansel Baptist Church. He received his early education in Reform. Following military service in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he entered the University of Alabama and graduated in 1951 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. In the same year, he was employed by the Von Braun rocket team in Huntsville, Alabama. Among the highlights of his career with the team was his work on the telemetry system for the first artificial satellite for the United States — Explorer I. He also designed many of the telemetry antennas for the Instrument Unit of the Saturn V rocket which took men to the moon. His work described what he fundamentally was — an explorer who was always eager to learn more.
During his early days in Huntsville, he met our mother, Geneva Neal, to whom he was married for 61 years.
What wonderful memories we, his children, have of our father. We recall camping in the Smokies, hiking, and his love of music and poetry. Even in later years, he could quote Shakespeare, Coleridge, Longfellow and many other writers.
Dad taught us by the living example of his strong Christian faith. All that he did was a dedicated gift to God and mankind. He was as equally devoted to his work as an engineer as he was devoted to his work as an Elder in his church, Providence Baptist. He was a person whose heart rang with the harmonious combination of Christian faith, engineering, poetry, music and deep thinking. He was a man whose soul was full of the love of his Lord Jesus Christ. The boundaries of his life extended from being a shining example of what it means to be a Christian father to helping men plant their feet on the moon. Physically and spiritually, he reached for the stars. Now, he rests with the bright and morning star – his Lord – exploring and learning about the wonders of a world without end.
The family wishes to thank all the doctors and nurses for their care of Mr. Harper.
Survivors include his wife, Geneva Harper; children, Amelia Kelly (Matthew), Glen Harper, Joel Harper and Junko Cook; grandchildren, Connor, Sean, Christopher (Lauren) and James; and great-granddaughters, Trinity and Savannah.
Visitation will be from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 9 at Providence Baptist Church, with the service to follow. Burial will be in Mt. Zion Cemetery.
