The Woodward News

Local News

Related Photos

  • Mayor Roscoe Hill shakes hands with soon to be 100 year old Herman Harper and presents him with a plaque at the 2012 Harper and Mahan family reunion Saturday at the Conference Center in Woodward. Photo by Chris Cooper

    honoredweb.jpg
October 1, 2012

Area resident celebrates milestone

Chris Cooper Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — An area farmer recently celebrated a milestone birthday while surrounded by family.

During the Harper and Mahan Family Reunion this weekend, Herman Harper was recognized for his upcoming 100th birthday.  Herman will officially reach the centennial mark on Oct. 27.

In addition to being honored by his extended family, Herman was presented with a plaque from Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill to congratulate Herman on his 100 years of life.

He has also been getting some media attention, because in addition to visiting with The News on Saturday, Herman said, 'The High Plains (Journal) wrote an article on me too."  

When asked what he thought of all the attention he was getting, Herman said, "Well I guess its pretty neat."

Herman was born in 1912 in Quinlan to his parents Earnest and Hanna (Laubach) Harper.  He grew up in a large family with 7 brothers and 2 sisters.  He went on to graduate from Mooreland High School in 1932.

Despite Herman's age he remains in remarkable health, so much so that he's still farming nearly 350 acres of his own land southeast of Mooreland.

"I've been doing it since I was 8. Heck I've been doing a man's work since I was a boy," he said. "When I turned 65 a bunch of guys come by asking to rent my land; I guess they thought I'd be retiring or something.  I had to send them off disappointed."

Herman did take a small respite from farming when he served in the Navy during World War II. Herman served nearly 4 years during which time he traveled to North Virginia, Hawaii, California, Ohio, Rhode Island, the Panama Canal, and Guam.

When asked about his future plans now that he's made triple digits, Herman told The News, "I may slow down a little, but I never plan to quit farming entirely. I always plan on at least keeping a garden. I also like fishing and watching horse races, so maybe I'll do a little of that."

When asked what the secret was to his longevity, Harper said, "Well I never got married, so I never had a boss. That helped. That's what I tell the guys down at the barbershop when they ask."

"Also clean living, I never did any smoking or drinking.  And you got to keep moving, you sit still and that rocking chair will get you," he said.

Text Only
Local News
  • Ways to help tornado victims

    After donations of all kinds came flooding into Woodward a year ago following the April 15 tornado, it seems that local and area organizations are eager to pay it forward and show the same support to our fellow Oklahomans now suffering in Shawnee, Carney, Moore and south Oklahoma City.

    May 22, 2013

  • Area woman injured in wreck

    One-vehicle accident happened east of Mutual on Tuesday morning.

    May 22, 2013

  • Hospital hosting emergency preparedness meeting

    Various healthcare agencies across Northwest Oklahoma will meet in Woodward Thursday for a conference designed to help them advance their emergency preparedness efforts.

    May 22, 2013

  • EMS strike team.jpg Woodward County EMS helping with tornado response

    Woodward County EMS has joined in the response efforts to the devastation following the deadly EF-5 tornado in Central Oklahoma.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.

    Gary Bird said he's "98 percent sure" there are no more survivors or bodies to recover under the rubble in Moore, a community of 56,000 people.

    May 21, 2013

  • Local church to hold prayer vigil for Moore tornado victims

    The First Christian Church in Woodward will be holding a prayer vigil tonight at 6 p.m. in support of the victims of the tornado that struck Moore on Monday.

    May 21, 2013

  • Donations being taken at armory today

    If you would like to send items to help the victims of Monday's tornado that ripped through Moore, donations are being accepted at the old armory building at Crystal Beach Park through 5 p.m. today.

    May 21, 2013

  • Crews dig through night after deadly Okla. twister

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Spotlights bore down on massive piles of shredded cinder block, insulation and metal as crews worked through the night early Tuesday lifting bricks and parts of collapsed walls where a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood. At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and those numbers were expected to climb, officials said.

    May 21, 2013

  • fireweb.jpg Woodward County fire departments send assistance to Moore

    A search and rescue task force from Woodward County was deployed to help assist with the response to the devastating tornado that ripped through Moore and south Oklahoma City Monday afternoon.

    May 20, 2013 1 Photo

  • Police: School near OKC directly hit by tornado

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say an elementary school in an Oklahoma City suburb took a direct hit from a mile-wide tornado.

    May 20, 2013