Hap Harper

BARHOF Inductee Hap Harper 2008

Howard “Hap” Harper was a native of New Orleans who moved with his family as a child to Flint, MI. That’s where he fell in love with airplanes on a kiddie ride at a local amusement park.

As a teenager, he enrolled in a flight school, got his pilot’s license and supported his studies at Oberlin College by giving flying lessons.

Harper served as a lieutenant in the US Marine Corps during World War II.

After the war, he moved to San Francisco, where his neighbor Don Sherwood became a flying student of Harper’s. Sherwood’s idea was to have Harper go up in his airplane and provide weather reports for KSFO. One morning, Harper spotted a traffic crash and detailed it for the KSFO audience.

Thus was born “The World’s First Airborne Traffic Reporter”.

Harper had a quick sense of humor and a memorable laugh, making him an ideal airborne sidekick for morning hosts on KSFO, KYA, and KNBR.

Hap Harper died in 2006 at age 81.

ADDITIONAL EXHIBITS:

Hap Harper, Don Sherwood, and the Raid on Stockton

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