Margaret Pease Harper

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Margaret Pease Harper (July 22, 1911 - November 16, 1991) was an American educator, musician and civic leader. She is best known for originating the idea for the historical outdoor drama, Texas , and facilitating both its creation and the Pioneer Amphitheater where it is performed in Palo Duro Canyon.

Biography

Harper was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 22, 1911. [1] Her father, Rollin Pease, was a singer who was involved in historical pageants. [1] Harper was raised in Evanston, Illinois. [1] From 1931 to 1951, her father worked as a professor of music at the University of Arizona (UA). [2] Harper earned her bachelor's degree from UA and then studied at the American Conservatory in Chicago while also earning her master's degree from the University of Chicago. [3] While Harper was in college and for some time after, she traveled with her father and worked as his accompanist. [4] After graduation, she taught in the Tucson public schools. [4]

She was married to Ples Harper on June 1, 1939, and the couple moved to Peru where Ples worked as a cultural-exchange director for the United States. [1] They stayed in Peru for about five years and during this time, Harper worked as a director for girls in Callao. [4] When Ples took a job at West Texas State Teachers College (now West Texas A&M University) in 1946, the couple settled in Canyon, Texas. [1] There she worked as a piano teacher at Canyon High School. [5] Harper also wrote a book, Meet Some Musical Terms: A First Dictionary in 1959. [1]

In July 1960, Harper was inspired to create an outdoor musical using the Palo Duro Canyon as the place for the performance. [6] She founded an organization in 1961, the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation Incorporated, which eventually built the Pioneer Amphitheater located in Palo Duro Canyon. [7] [8] Harper contacted playwright, Paul Green, to see if he would be interested in writing a symphonic drama about the Texas Panhandle. [1] Green wrote a historical drama, Texas , which opened on July 1, 1966. [9] The drama went on to be a success, drawing large numbers of people to the canyon and becoming the best-attended outdoor history drama in the United States according to the Texas Observer . [10]

Harper was honored with the creation of a bronze bust in her likeness, sculpted by Jack King Hill, that was installed in the Pioneer Amphitheater in 1980. [11] She was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1981. [12] In 1988, she was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. [13]

Harper died in a hospital in Amarillo on November 16, 1991. [1] She is buried in Dreamland Cemetery in Canyon. [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kuehn, Claire R. (15 June 2010). "Harper, Margaret Pease". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "Papers of Rollin Malbone Pease". Special Collections at the University of Arizona Libraries. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  3. ↑ "Teachers to Give Recital". Amarillo Daily News. 5 March 1948. Retrieved 2018-07-22– via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "Distinguished Guest At Piano Teachers Meet". Pampa Daily News. 17 January 1960. Retrieved 2018-07-23– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Piano and Voice Instructors Get Year's Work Underway". The Canyon News. 6 October 1946. Retrieved 2018-07-22– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Guy, Duane F. (2001). "An Amphitheater for the Panhandle". The Story of Palo Duro Canyon. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press. p. 180. ISBN   9780896724532.
  7. ↑ "Historical Wall Panel Home in Amphitheater". The Canyon News. 19 August 1965. Retrieved 2018-07-23– via Newspapers.com. and "Historical..." The Canyon News. 19 August 1965. Retrieved 2018-07-23– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Margaret Harper Honored by WTCC". The Canyon News. 30 November 1967. Retrieved 2018-07-23– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "'Texas' Cast Meets Author, Paul Green". The Canyon News. 9 June 1966. Retrieved 2018-07-23– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Ross, Robyn (2015-07-13). "Historical Outdoor Musical 'Texas' is Reinvented in Palo Duro Canyon". The Texas Observer. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  11. ↑ "Harper Honored With Bronze". The Canyon News. 24 August 1980. Retrieved 2018-07-23– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Margaret Pease Harper". Cowgirl Hall of Fame & Museum. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  13. ↑ "Margaret Pease Harper". Texas Woman's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  14. ↑ Harvey, Bill (2003). Texas Cemeteries: The Resting Places of Famous, Infamous, and Just Plain Interesting Texans. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. p. 81. ISBN   9780292779341.
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