Portfolios Journalism
Page updated March.30.2007
In Memorium: Walter Harp
Article, Groove Vol. 17 Issue 4, December 5, 2005
(~660 words)
On Tuesday November 8th, Walter Harp, a professor in the Liberal Arts Department at Berklee for the last 29 years, passed away in his Cambridge, MA home. He had recently spent his 63rd birthday spent with his family. Harp had been struggling for the past three years with cancer. Throughout his time at Berklee, he taught History of Western Civilization, World History, American History, Urban Sociology, and College Writing. Harp received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his Master’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is also the author of papers presented at various conferences, including the Association for General & Liberal Studies (AGLS) Conference, the Conference of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and the Conference of the Memorial University of Newfoundland. He was published in Harvard Magazine, and most recently he had written a very elegant and poetic article in Fall 2005 issue of Berklee Today entitled “Bluefishing with Britten: Beneath the surface of music and life.” Two extensive projects Harp was also in the midst of working on included a retrospective on the Norton lectures at Harvard and a collection of oral history of those on the outer Cape.
Despite the various activities Harp has been involved in, at heart, he was first and foremost a teacher. A longtime friend and colleague of Harp’s for over twenty years, professor Peter Gardner describes Harp as “a great teacher. He put a human face on history. He made sociology come alive by having students go out into the real world and interact with real people. He taught precision and originality of thought and always urged his students to take risks, helping to pick them up if they fell. He saw all of his students as individuals and tried to help them in individual ways.”
Walter Harp was known and respected for being extremely knowledgeable, yet at the same time, very humble. He was forever curious to expand his understanding of topics, and encouraged his students to always question why things are a certain way and to never be content to simply accept an assumption. He promoted critical and creative thought, and guided students as they progressed and made mistakes along the way. Rob Hayes, asst. VP of Public Information recalls “we had several good chats about the life of the mind, and the importance of building out this facet of our next generations of musicians.” Students were very appreciative of Harp’s efforts to help both their artistic and intellectual development, helping them to not only be better artists but better global citizens as well. On a memorial web page dedicated to Walter Harp, current student Kayla Schmah writes, “The knowledge you have so generously shared with us will always be remembered by your students and friends at Berklee. Thank you for your great contribution to our learning and understanding.”
Someone who always saw potential in a given situation, he influenced others to be optimistic and eager for progress as well. Dr. Peter Alhadeff, professor in the MB/M Department, says, “I believed we had a common view: That there was good out there, that helping and being of service was more important than holding power, and that a wiser existence was possible for all of us.” Harp’s positive and upbeat manner even affected those he didn’t know very well, as Don Gorder, Chair of the MB/M Department notes that “I'll always remember him as a kind, thoughtful, and infinitely decent man. In those occasional times when I would bump into him in the hall or in the elevator, he always had a smile and a quietly upbeat manner that made even the worst days a little better.”
Harp is survived by his wife Ilse Peter, his children Gabriel and Erika, his daughter in law Lina, his granddaughter Anya, his father Elting, his sister Virginia, and his brother Ned. He leaves a Berklee community that was very fond of him, and his presence will be greatly missed.
To view this article in the Groove itself, please visit the Groove web site, where a PDF of the issues are available for download.
Journalism Outline
The Groove Student Newspaper at Berklee College of Music
· "In Memorium: Walter Harp"
Article, Groove Vol. 17 Issue 4, December 5, 2005
· "Bringing the Real World Experience to School"
Article, Groove Vol. 17 Issue 4, December 5, 2005
· "The Marketing Design Group"
Article, Groove Vol. 17 Issue 3, November 15, 2005
· "Modern Day Re/sonance: The Electronica Club"
Article, Groove Vol. 17 Issue 3, November 15, 2005
· "A Convention for the People Behind the Glass"
Trade Show Review, Groove Vol. 17 Issue 1, October 17, 2005
· "Attempting Street Cred"
Editorial, Groove Vol. 16 Issue ?, February ?, 2005
· "The Boston Hip-Hop Alliance"
Article, Groove Vol. 15 Issue ?, February ?, 2005
· "Music Business Journal"
Article, Groove Vol. ? Issue ?, February 14, 2005
· "Music Business Majors Tour NAMM"
Trade Show Review, Groove Vol. 16 Issue 7, February 2, 2005
Co-written by Ross Gruet
· "Finally Woken"
CD Review Article, Groove Vol. ? Issue ?, December 8, 2004
· "Encore?"
CD Review Article, Groove Vol. ? Issue ?, December 8, 2004
· "New York, New York"
Cover Article, Groove Vol. 16 Issue 5, November 24, 2004
Co-written by Cynthia Morgan
· "An Evening of Birnbryer Peace"
Concert Review Article, Groove Vol. 2 Issue 4, November 10, 2004
· "Preventing Your Dog From Eating Your Homework"
Article, Groove Vol. 2 Issue 1, October 13, 2004
· "100 Miles and (No Longer) Runnin'"
Article, Groove Vol. ? Issue ?, September 29, 2004