Dr. Marcia Mitchell Harper said teaching, the thing she enjoyed most in the world, was a very special gift from God. With four years of experience teaching high school English in Ohio and Illinois and twenty-two years of college teaching at Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, Illinois); Georgia Perimeter College (Decatur, Georgia); and Brevard College (Brevard, North Carolina), Dr. Harper once estimated that she taught more than three thousand students in her career. She particularly treasured the long-term correspondences she had with students after they left her classroom. In addition, she and her husband, William T. Harper, raised three sons and guided them all through graduate school and into careers in scientific research, corporate business and law. She was active throughout her life in the Episcopal Church, leading the Episcopal Church Women, teaching Sunday school, superintending vacation Bible School, and acting as a lector and a lay Minister. In her later years she became a Roman Catholic. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Harper was reared in Lakewood and Rocky River Ohio; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Toronto, Ontario. After earning her bachelor's degree in English from Oberlin College, attending St. Andrew's University in Scotland her junior year and completing a master's degree in teaching from Yale University, she studied for her doctorate at Harvard University and the University of Delaware and completed the Ph.D. in English at Northern Illinois University in 1988 at the age of fifty-two. Dr. Harper always championed the public schools of this country, calling them the bedrock of any democracy, and she not only taught in public schools and universities, but also regularly volunteered in the public schools in her community including Brevard Elementary School. She was active in many local organizations including Sharing House in Brevard, where she was the past-President; Sacred Heart Catholic Church and their Centering Prayer Group along with the Adult Discussion Group; Koinonia; Rise and Shine Freedom School after school tutoring; a mediator with the Center for Dialogue; and as a Board Member of the Transylvania Endowment. When asked to reflect on the loss of her dear friend, Linda McCready, Executive Director at Sharing House, expressed, "Strength, compassion and generosity are virtues that comes to mind when I think about Marcia. Her heart was filled with the presence of God, and from that source she gave freely of herself to our community. Her example of love of neighbor is a beautiful legacy that will continue to warm our hearts as we remember her." Marcia's husband, William commented, "Marcia's tireless passion was directed to support the non-profit organizations that touched the lives of the people in Appalachia. Her love for the community showed in her articles in the Transylvania Times." Dr. Harper, who died on the morning of March 29, 2011 at her residence in Brevard, North Carolina, was cremated and will rest in the Columbarium of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Brevard, North Carolina. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 o’clock a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Brevard. The family will receive friends Friday, April 1, 2011, from 6 until 8 o’clock p.m. at Moody-Connolly Funeral Home. She is survived by her husband William, sons Thomas, Gregory and Richard; and grandchildren Michael, Jack, Cameron, Christopher, Mary-Katherine, Emily and Andrew. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to a scholarship fund in her name being set up at Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio) or to the Transylvania Christian Ministry/Sharing House (Brevard, NC) for their work in helping the poor.