Prince William County residents are celebrating the life of a former School Board member and veteran.
John Harper Jr. has passed away.
Harper was the Prince William County School Board’s first African American member.
He served in the United States Army and on recreation and arts boards in the county, as well.
Convington-Harper Elementary School, which opened in Dumfries in August 2017, was named after Harper and former School Board member Betty Covington.
“Mr. Harper spent a life devoted to his family, country, and Prince William County,” Covington-Harper Elementary School Principal Ron Whitten said in a release from Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS). “I have spent the last two years getting to know a man who was truly honored to have a school named in his honor. As often as he could, he visited the school and always enjoyed spending time with the students and staff.”
A funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, according to the release. It will take place at First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries.
