Dan J Harper

Nationally Recognized Local Businessman Dies, Age 83

DAN JACKSON HARPER, age 83, of Portland, Oregon, died Friday, February 22, 2013. Dan was born 1929 in Columbiana, Alabama, to Harry and Blanche Harper. He had two older sisters, Blanche (“Peep”) and Doris, who lived most of their lives in Alabama. He played high school football, and worked as a ‘Printer’s Devil,’ setting and cleaning type for the Shelby County Democrat newspaper. When Dan was 15, he moved to New Orleans, graduated from Warren Easton High School in 1947, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

Decorated Navy Serviceman

From 1947 to 1954, Harper served in the Navy as an Electronics Technician. During his service he was stationed on Guam, and also served on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet CV-12, 18 months on the Landing Ship, Tank (LST, an amphibious ship designed to deploy or evacuate troops and vehicles) USS 898, and the AGC USS Mount McKinley. During Dan’s duty aboard the LST 898, the ship ferried troops and supplies between Japan and Korea during the Korean War.

Dan received several medals for service to his country: the National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and Good Conduct Medal.

He also received his captain’s personal thanks for performing a dangerous mission for the LST 898. An anchor cable had become entangled with the prop, and the ship was in danger of going aground. The Captain asked for dive volunteers to go into the water and attempt to free the prop. Working for hours in the chill water, Harper and another sailor managed to free the cable and save their captain’s command.

In another incident, during the Korean War, Dan received a commendation for performing a dangerous dive to save a small sinking boat assigned to the LST.

“1. On the night of 26 June 1952, under darkened and adverse conditions, you were instrumental in greatly assisting in the salvage operation of the LCPL belonging to this vessel. 2. Your wholehearted willingness to perform this diving, such duty not considered a part of your normal assignments, constitutes an act above and beyond the call of duty and is in the highest tradition of Naval Service. For this you are highly deserving of this commendation. 3. This shall become a permanent part of your service record.” Signed, J. Van Osdol, Commanding Officer.

Fifty years later, at an LST 898 ship’s reunion, Dan met his Captain again and started to introduce himself. Van Osdol stopped him and said, “I know who you are. You’re the man who saved my ship.”

For Harper, it was an honor to serve his country. He was rarely seen without his Navy or LST 898 baseball cap, and in fact, wore his 898 cap to the Emergency Room on his final trip to the hospital.

While in the Navy, Dan was diagnosed with cancer, and received treatment at the Naval Hospital in San Francisco. There he met his future wife, Shirley Kavelman, who had been convinced by one of the Navy nurses to visit the “poor Navy boys.”

Dan and Shirley fell in love, and were married December 24, 1954.

After leaving the Navy, Dan worked at a lab in San Francisco, where he analyzed the radioactive cloud samples from Russian nuclear test blasts.

Dan and Shirley moved to Oregon in 1958, began attending St. Andrew Lutheran Church, and had three children. Dan briefly attended Reed College.

Nationally Recognized in Industry

In 1959, Dan took a job as an electronics technician at Tektronix, Inc., headquartered in Beaverton, OR. His dedication and work ethic led to regular promotions and a position as head of Corporate Quality Assurance. He retired after 37 years, but continued as an industry representative to the American Society for Quality on national and international committees.

Dan was recognized both nationally and internationally for his work in metrology. (Metrology – the science of measurement -- is one of the nearly invisible underpinnings of global industry.)

Although Harper worked specifically in quality assurance, he served U.S. industry as a whole through key positions in the national and international standards community. His most prestigious position was Head of Delegation to Subcommittee 3 of an International Organization of Standards (ISO) task group. ISO is made of the national standards institutes of almost 150 countries.

Among the dozens of awards Harper received over the years, the most prestigious was the Freundt-Marquardt Medal in 2004.

"Dan Harper has provided great leadership and direction to American standards activities… and through his efforts, has enhanced the influence of the U.S. in international commerce," stated Ed Schilling, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, about the award.

Dan traveled extensively for work and pleasure to the U.K., Europe, Mexico, South America, Africa, and China. He often joked that in South Africa, a herd of about 50 wild elephants did nearly keep him from making it back to the airport.

Strong Supporter of Local Community

Harper believed strongly in community. He worked on successful election campaigns for various Republican candidates, and served as Chairman of the Washington County Republican Central Committee.

He helped organize and run the 1968 summer festival for Beaverton’s Diamond Jubilee. In the 1970’s, Harper helped find jobs and arrange retraining for Indochinese political refugees in local resettlement programs.

A rifle and pistol marksman, Dan became an NRA Instructor in civilian life. He worked with the Boy Scouts and volunteered as Assistant Coach of the Sunset High School Rifle Team in the late 1970’s. He was also a member of the Sunset High School Booster Club. There he volunteered in Concessions at the football games and was known for tying 3-foot licorice pieces into sailor’s knots.

Dan was a craftsman who believed in “getting his hands dirty” and building what he needed. For his children, he built toys such as a Noah’s Ark, barrel rocking chairs, toy chests, a rocking elephant, a play house (complete with kitchen and Dutch doors), a two-story fort, and a tall maple cradle for his first grandchild.

Dan also taught himself to steam and bend wood, then designed and built four wooden dulcimers. He built tools so he could perform car repairs by himself, and started work on a boat with a modified V-hull that, admittedly, never touched the water. When his wife, Shirley, graduated with a Master’s Degree in Psychology, he built a walnut desk for her office.

Dan loved the Pacific Northwest, and enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities, from camping to hunting and fishing. Always active, when 73 years old, he completed training for his private pilot license.

A man of deep faith, Dan was active in St. Andrew Lutheran Church. Dan served regularly in various capacities, including Congregation President and Church Council Member. He also helped organize and support many church activities, from picnics to building expansions.

Harper is survived by his son, Kevin L. Harper (Christine); daughters, Tara K. Harper and Colleen A. Gadbois; and grandchildren, Anne K. Harper, Catherine S. Harper, Bethany L. Smith, and Eric E. Smith.

Dan Harper’s memorial service with Military Honors will be held Saturday, March 23, 2013, 11:00 am, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 12405 SW Butner Rd, Beaverton, Oregon 97005; phone 503-626-0629. A reception will be held in the Fellowship Hall following the memorial.

Flowers may be sent to St. Andrew Lutheran Church on Friday, March 22 for the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St Andrew Foundation, via St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Beaverton, Oregon; or to Medical Teams International (formerly Northwest Medical Teams), Portland, Oregon.