Margaret Pease Harper (July 22, 1911 - November 16, 1991) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

educator, musician and civic leader. She is best known for originating the idea for the historical outdoor drama, ''

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

'', and facilitating both its creation and the Pioneer Amphitheater where it is performed in

Palo Duro Canyon Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo and Canyon, Texas, Canyon. As the second-largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly long and has an ...

Biography

Harper was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 22, 1911. Her father, Rollin Pease, was a singer who was involved in historical pageants. Harper was raised in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

. From 1931 to 1951, her father worked as a professor of music at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

(UA). Harper earned her bachelor's degree from UA and then studied at the American Conservatory in Chicago while also earning her master's degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. While Harper was in college and for some time after, she traveled with her father and worked as his accompanist. After graduation, she taught in the

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

public schools. She was married to Ples Harper on June 1, 1939 and the couple moved to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

where Ples worked as a cultural-exchange director for the United States. They stayed in Peru for about five years and during this time, Harper worked as a director for girls in

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

. When Ples took a job at West Texas State Teachers College (now

West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It was established on Se ...

) in 1946, the couple settled in

Canyon, Texas Canyon is a city in, and the county seat of, Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,836 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Amarillo, Texas, metropolitan statistical area. Canyon is the home of West Texas A&M University and ...

. There she worked as a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

teacher at Canyon High School. Harper also wrote a book, ''Meet Some Musical Terms: A First Dictionary'' in 1959. In July 1960, Harper was inspired to create an outdoor musical using the

as the place for the performance. She founded an organization in 1961, the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation Incorporated, which eventually built the Pioneer Amphitheater located in Palo Duro Canyon. Harper contacted playwright, Paul Green, to see if he would be interested in writing a symphonic drama about the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

. Green wrote a historical drama, ''

'', which opened on July 1, 1966. The drama went on to be a success, drawing large numbers of people to the canyon and becoming the best-attended outdoor history drama in the

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according to the ''

Texas Observer ''The Texas Observer'' (also known as the ''Observer'') is an American magazine with a liberal political outlook. The ''Observer'' is published bimonthly by a 501(c)(3)Cowgirl Hall of Fame The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an edu ...

in 1981. In 1988, she was inducted into the

Texas Women's Hall of Fame The Texas Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1984 by the Governor's Commission on Women. The honorees are selected biennially from submissions from the public. The honorees must be either native Texans, or a resident of Texas at the time of th ...

. Harper died in a hospital in

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

on November 16, 1991. She is buried in Dreamland Cemetery in Canyon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Margaret Pease 1911 births 1991 deaths People from Canyon, Texas People from Saint Paul, Minnesota University of Arizona alumni University of Chicago alumni American women educators 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists Educators from Texas Educators from Minnesota