Richard Harpham
Richard C. Harpham was born Sept. 2, 1924 in Lincoln, Nebraska and died on August 25, 2025 just short of his 101st birthday. He was the son of J.V. Harpham and Leona Norval Harpham, descendants of 19th Century settlers in Nebraska.
He attended Lincoln High School where he was Editor of the Newspaper (The Advocate) and earned his letter on the basketball team that won the 1942 State Championship. Then to Kemper Military School followed by the U.S. Navy, he graduated as an Ensign at Naval Midshipman School, Notre Dame, Indiana, serving in the Pacific as a Communications Officer. After World War II he completed his education at Harvard College and the Law School, graduating in 1951, and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar. He married Margaretta Snow (later divorced) and was recalled in the Navy during the Korean War and served two more years on active duty at the Pentagon as legal advisor to the Director, Naval Communications. Returning to Connecticut he practiced law and joined a small independent Trust Co., and helped raise a family of three children.
Many hours were spent in pro bono efforts—Red Cross, YMCA, Meriden Historical Society, Public Health & Visiting Nurse Assn., Chamber of Commerce, Republican political activities and Chairman of a Pastoral Supply Committee in the First Congregational Church of Meriden. He also was the Commanding Officer of a Naval Reserve Security Group Division in Hartford, Connecticut. Meriden’s industrial base was declining and as a member of the Industrial Development Commission, he completed a study, published in the Meriden Record, demonstrating the problems, leading to the formation of the Meriden Industrial Development Corporation, acquiring 1,000 acres of land for an industrial park on the main highway (I-91) through Connecticut to the ski country in northern New England.
In 1963 he and his family trekked West to California, settling in Santa Barbara as an investment officer at United California Bank. His children attended local schools and then went off to college. A back condition somewhat limited his activities, but he devoted time as President of the San Roque Park District Improvement Association, on the UCSB Affiliates and Santa Barbara Historical Society (Museum) boards. In 1984 he took early retirement. Two years later he and Natalie B. Clark were married; they traveled extensively, continuing their interest in art and music.
In recent years he volunteered many hours for the Harry Warren family researching the music of Harry Warren (42nd Street / Lullaby of Broadway, etc.) and building an Archive recording over 450 unpublished melodies of Warren, movies and many documents and manuscripts covering this brilliant, yet virtually unknown songwriter who was the “King” of the Hollywood Musicals.
He was predeceased by his wife, Natalie B. Clark in 2018. He is survived by his three children from his previous marriage, Anne Harpham-Carley (Jim), Melissa Gray Harpham Walker (Larry), and Richard Charles (“Chuck”) Harpham, Jr. (Kathy), five grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and several step children.
