Glynn Compton Harper

Glynn Compton Harper '58

USNA ’58

Glynn Compton Harper was born in Shelby County, in east Texas and grew up in Pasadena, Texas, an industrial suburb of Houston.

He graduated from Pasadena High School in 1954, and was appointed a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. As a midshipman, he made cruises in destroyers to England, Spain and Cuba. He graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy June 4, 1958. He married the former Susan Porter on June 16, 1958.

He served for 18 months in a destroyer, SAMUEL B ROBERTS (DD 823) stationed in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1960, he entered the U.S. Naval Submarine School in Groton, Connecticut and was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade while in Sub school. After graduating from Sub school, he served on the USS BREAM (SSK 243).

In BREAM he made an extended 7-month cruise to the Western Pacific to Japan and other ports in the Far East. In 1962, he was promoted to full Lieutenant and transferred to Groton, Connecticut to the construction detail of USS ALEXANDER HAMILTON (SSBN 617) a nuclear Polaris Missile submarine. He and Susan were divorced in October 1963 before HAMILTON was commissioned.

Under the ice
on the 3rd HAMILTON patrol

Glynn made three submerged Polaris patrols in HAMILTON, two above the Arctic Circle and one in the Mediterranean Sea. Glynn Harper resigned from the Navy in 1967 and worked as an engineer for Exxon (then Humble Oil) for eight years. In 1973 he entered the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in May of 1977. He was ordained Deacon in June and Priest in December of 1978 in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, California. During his career as a priest, he served parishes in California (Holy Family in Fresno and Trinity Church in Lone Pine), Texas (St. Stephen's, and St. James' in Houston and St. Peter's in Pasadena) and Louisiana (St. Andrew's and St. Anna's both in New Orleans.)

Glynn was trained and certified as an interim pastor in 1992. In 1994 he attended a course at Canterbury Cathedral in Anglican Liturgy and Homiletics. In the summer of 1996, he took a course in Anglican studies at University College, Oxford, England. He was called to Louisiana in 1998 as Interim Rector of St. Andrews in New Orleans. Subsequently he was appointed vicar of St. Anna's (New Orleans) by the Bishop of Louisiana in 1999. St. Anna's served the French Quarter and surrounding downtown neighborhoods of New Orleans. In May 2003, he retired as rector of St. Anna's and from the active priesthood.

Glynn Compton Harper

In November 2003, he sold his home in New Orleans, bought a travel trailer and pickup truck, and set out on a tour of the U.S. and Canada to promote his first novel, A Perfect Peace the story of two gay soldiers during WWII. In September of 2004, Glynn sold his travel trailer and moved permanently to San Augustine, Texas. In January 2006, the Episcopal Bishop of Texas appointed him Priest in Charge (vicar) of the congregation at Christ Church.

His new novel Arise Beloved, the story of a pioneer woman aviator; a WASP during WWII, is now available at Amazon.com. Both books can be ordered directly from his web site http://www.glynnsbooks.com.

Please feel free to contact Glynn here at USNA Out.