Philip Harper Obituary

Harper, Jr., Philip S. A Chicago business executive and lifelong civic leader in nonprofit community organizations, died Saturday, December 13, at King Bruwaert House in Burr Ridge, IL, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He was a long-time Hinsdale resident. Mr. Harper, 85, was born in Chicago to Carolyn Lamar Harper and Philip S. Harper Sr. in 1923 and grew up in the Beverly neighborhood. He graduated from Morgan Park High School in 1942 and soon thereafter enlisted in the U.S. Army. After completing a year of deferment at Dartmouth College, he served in the European Theatre during WWII, and was discharged in 1946 as a First Lieutenant. Mr. Harper married Harriet Pierce in Chicago in 1946. Upon completing his education at Dartmouth in 1948, he joined Harper-Wyman Co., a gas controls manufacturing company founded by his father. During his tenure in the family business, he oversaw the construction and management of the company's main production plant in Princeton, IL, before returning to Chiacgo to become company president in 1958. As president of Harper-Wyman, Mr. Harper was active in gas industry trade associations, and served as chairman of the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association in 1975-76. He was also a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) for many years. After retiring in 1985, Mr. Harper turned his attention to civic projects, concentrated on financial and structural improvements for nonprofit organizations devoted to education, health and human services. In the late 1980s, he served as chairman of the board of the Evangelical Health Systems Foundation, the Community Renewal Society of Chicago, and the Chicago Theological Seminary. Mr. Harper also served as president of George Williams College from 1986 to 1992, and oversaw a merger with Aurora University, which preserved the integrity of the college's Lake Geneva campus. Aurora University recognized his efforts by awarding him an honorary doctorate degree in 2000. Mr. Harper was a dedicated member of the Union Church of Hinsdale. He served on the executive council, was moderator of the church, and was active in the church Boy Scout troop. As a leader in the United Church of Christ Illinois Conference, he worked to help several small congregations preserve and restore their church buildings. An avid sailor, Mr. Harper enjoyed many summers at the family cottage on Lake Michigan, near the music camp at Interlochen, which he had attended as a teenager. In the Northport Point community, he served as president of the Cottage Owners' Association and commodore of the yacht club. Mr. Harper is survived by his wife Harriet, his children Anne (Gregory Nobles), Andrew (Kennie Lyman), Stephen, Betsy (David Persampieri), and William, his grandchildren Phoebe, Sarah, Alexandra, Vivien, William, Nathan, and Audrey, and his sister Lamar Harper (Richard) Williams. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Union Church of Hinsdale or to George Williams College of Aurora University, P.O. Box 210, Williams Bay, WI 53191. A memorial service will be held at Union Church of Hinsdale, 137 S. Garfield, on Tuesday, December 16, at 11 a.m.