Glen Harper of Duncan, a giant of Island curling who was twice sa国际传媒 men鈥檚 champion and represented the province in the Brier national championship, died this month at 92.
Harper was a sa国际传媒 champion and national championship competitor five times, twice in men鈥檚, twice in mixed 鈥� on rinks that included his wife, Margaret Harper 鈥� and once in seniors.
Harper did it all with only one eye, having lost his other in a fishing accident at age 10. He learned how to deal with the altered depth perception, not an easy thing in a target sport that relies on precision shot-making.
鈥淗e was dead-eye dick with one eye. He was just a tremendous, natural athlete to have accomplished what he did,鈥� said his daughter Bonnie Segger.
Such was Harper鈥檚 influence on the sport in the Cowichan Valley that he lived to see the Duncan Curling Club, the building of which he helped initiate on Sherman Road in 1967, eventually bear his name as the current Glen Harper Curling Centre.
Harper won the provincial men鈥檚 title and went 8-2 and was a finalist in the 1963 Brier in Brandon, Man., backed by Harvey Hodge, Gary Merrett and Vern Kaspick.
Harper was also sa国际传媒 champion in 1960, going 3-7 at the Brier that year in Fort William (now Lakehead), Ont., backed by Hodge, Fred Duncan and Kaspick. Saskatchewan legend Ernie Richardson was the Brier champion on both occasions.
鈥淕len always had that great smile,鈥� said Keith Dagg, a member of brother Lyall Dagg鈥檚 Vancouver rink, which lost to Harper in the 1960 sa国际传媒 championship game. 鈥淗e was a great guy and a great curler. He was a class act. I played him so many times and he was smiling, win or lose. Glen Harper was what sport is all about. He was also such a leader in the sport of curling on the Island.鈥�
Segger concurred: 鈥淢y dad was definitely a gentleman curler. Win or lose, there was no change in him. He was kind to everybody, opponents alike. He simply loved the game and loved to compete and may the best team win. He was a good sport, on the pebbled ice, and in all aspects of life.鈥�
Everybody in the family was involved in curling.
鈥淗e enrolled us all in Friday night curling. With three daughters, he figured that was a good way to keep us out of trouble,鈥� Segger said with a laugh.
Away from the rink, Harper was well known in the Cowichan Valley in the scrap metal, demolition and recycling business.
Harper was predeceased by his wife, Margaret, and son 颅Laurie at age two, and is 颅survived by daughters Segger, Glenda Barrett, Cathy Waters, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A memorial 颅gathering will be announced.
