John “Jack” Mickle Harper
Inducted In
2018
John M. Harper‘s motto was community service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy.
Harper was born in Kitchener and served in the Second World War, where he was decorated for his role in the invasion of Normandy.
His extraordinary law career began in 1948, when he co-founded the law firm McGibbon & Harper in Waterloo. Harper was appointed to the rank of Queen’s Counsel in 1958. He retired in 2007 as General Counsel of Gowling, La Fleur & Henderson, now known as Gowling WLG with offices around the world.
Harper volunteered with numerous organizations including: St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation; Campaign Waterloo; Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation; Waterloo Chamber of Commerce; Waterloo Law Association; United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo; Kitchener Waterloo YMCA; and the RIM Park Campaign. In 1975, he was named the Kitchener-Waterloo Citizen of the Year.
Harper was also a member of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Board of Governors, the Chancellor’s Club, and the William Ross MacDonald Society. He was a proud Senate member with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and an Honorary Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers.
His community contributions have been recognized by the City of Waterloo, where the newest library branch (John M. Harper Branch) was named in his honour.
Photograph courtesy of Forbes Studio.