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Jesup, Georgia 31545

Saturday-Sunday, March 30-31, 2013

75

Well-loved businessman remembered

By Drew Davis STAFF WRITER James Harper, one of Wayne Countys most respected business and civic leaders, died at Wayne Memorial Hospital Wednesday at the age of 96. As a businessman, Harper was bestknown locally for his propane-gas business, but at the height of his career, he presided over 27 corporations. As a member of the Wayne County Industrial Development Authority, he played a key role in attracting Altamaha Technical College, the Federal Correctional Institution and several significant industries to the county. He was a former Jesup city commissioner and a founder of both Pine Forest Country Club and the Jesup Elks Club. In 1995 the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce bestowed upon him its coveted Distinguished Service Award for a lifetime of service to the community. Dink NeSmith, the principal owner of The Press-Sentinel, was a longtime friend who worked with Harper on several prominent community projects. James Harper provedfor 96 years you dont have to be 9 feet tall to be a giant, NeSmith said. Everywhere you look, you see his giant footprints. And he leaves very big shoes to fill. James stood tall, and he made Wayne County and the world a better place. He will always be one of my personal heroes. Harper was born in Ellijay but moved to Wayne County as an infant. Following his naval service in World War II, he and relatives began Service Gas in Jesup. Harpers gas business grew throughout the area until, in 1955, he established Southern Propane Company. In 1973 he began Harper Industries, a wholesale supplier of propane, and remained its president until his death. Other business ventures included Candyland, a retail and hotel company; Sea Palms, Hampton Plantation and the Hampton Club, all on St. Simons Island; and Lost Plantation, an 18-hole golf course and residential community in Rincon. What stood out for many of those who knew him, though, was not his own business success but rather his devotion to the community. A true visionary Jim Bland, a friend who worked with Harper on Industrial Authority, Chamber and local government projects, said, James Harper was a true visionary. He could see things that could and should be done in our community. And beyond that, he could visualize ways to make those things happen. He accomthere. ... He helped bring me here. And after I was here, he looked after me. Recalling their time in the Kiwanis Club together, Scott said, He rarely ever missed a meeting. And he was enthusiastic and supportive of all the activities. Scott also said, He truly loved Wayne County and the people in it and the hope for its future. ... Itll be many, many years before you get another person like that through this county or through the state of Georgia, actually. ... He was not just an outstanding businessman. He was not just an outstanding civic man. But he was an outstanding human being. Recollections of a congressman Harpers business success and community interest made him a logical choice to serve as the finance chair for Wayne County resident Lindsay Thomas initial run for Congress in 1982. Thomas went on to serve as a U.S. representative for the next 10 years. Although he had full access to my office, James never called me in all of those 10 years to ask for anything other than my support for something that he felt was good for his community, Thomas recounted. He called me to set up the meeting with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in D.C. We pushed for and got the meeting set up, even thought the Bureau had pulled all plans to build the prison after the controversey that arose around it in neighboring Glynn County. James insisted that they needed to know that Wayne County would welcome them if that decision was changed. When the group came up, they spoke in unity for the Jesup community, and they were thanked by the Bureau officials. A few months later I flew down with President Bush on Air Force One to roll out his major crime-package bill in a public meeting there at the Federal Law Enforcement Center at Glynco Naval Air Station. The bill became law, and in it were the funds to construct three new federal correction facilities, and the Bureau wasted no time in committing to the Jesup site, where they knew they had the support of the community leadership and citizens alrady in place. Thomas also said, In my years in office I could always count on James careful and unselfish adivice. He possesed the genius of common sense and a rare sense of judgment that was never based on hate or anger or prejudice. ... James was a gentle man who spoke through his actions, and his influence in the highest circles of our community and our nation came from the respect that came from all who came to know him.

James Harper
plished a great deal in business, not just for himself, but he helped others get started in business. Bland continued, And James never sought to be the chairman or the president of the Chamber of the Industrial Authority or the mayor of the city .... He simply worked on the committee and made a very valuable contribution. ... He always made the most valuable contributions .... Recalling his friends integrity and honesty, Bland concluded, I respected him more than any person that I have ever worked with. In addition to his other activities, Harper was active in St. Pauls Episcopal Church, having served as a senior warden and a member of the vestry. He was also a 60-year member of the Jesup Kiwanis Club, in which he served with both Bland and Dr. Paul Scott. As one of the people who helped attract Altamaha Tech to Jesup, Harper was partially responsible for Scotts move here. Scott was the colleges first president. I encountered him early on, when they were trying to organize to go after Altamaha Tech, Scott said. And he was without question one of the principal leaders in that effort. Harper and other community leaders of that time were responsible for a whole wave of community growth, Scott recalled. All of a sudden there was just an explosion of all kinds of wonderful things happening in Wayne County, Scott said. Of Harper in particular, Scott said, Once he accomplished a thing, he was not away from it. ... He always stayed in