Greenwood native Dr. Maxine Harper will appear at Turnrow Book Co. at 5 p.m. Friday to promote her new memoir, “Journey of Hope.”
“I like writing, and after I wrote my first book, a lot of my friends encouraged me to write another book about my life,” Harper said. “People are really curious about how I got where I am.”
Where she is involves teaching special education and serving as the interim director of the Center for Educational Research and Evaluation at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
Harper, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, had to overcome a number of obstacles. Being confined to a wheelchair and having limited use of her hands has surely affected her life, but she said she tries to focus on the abilities she does have.
“The secret to happiness is appreciating what you’ve been given,” she said.
When Harper was young, the public schools weren’t open to children with disabilities. So her first few years of schooling were spent at a residential facility in Jackson, which she described as “more like a hospital than a school.”
At the age of 9, Harper began attending the Leflore County School for Handicapped Children, known as the Little Red Schoolhouse. Her teacher, Mary Elizabeth Morton, recognized Harper’s potential and approached the principal at Bankston Elementary School about allowing her to enroll there.
It turned out that despite her physical limitations, Harper was quite gifted intellectually and found much success in school. She graduated from Pillow Academy as class valedictorian.
“I couldn’t tell you how happy I was,” Harper said about finding out she was named valedictorian. “It was like going from the valley to the top of the mountain.”
She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Delta State University, a master’s degree from Mississippi State University and a doctorate from Delta State University, all in education.
After teaching at the Little Red Schoolhouse and developing software as a computer programmer for a while, Harper began working as a research analyst at the University of Mississippi in 2000.
She now teaches in the education department, and she said she enjoys it immensely.
“One thing I really enjoy is the interaction with students,” Harper said. “Many of them have never been associated with someone with a severe disability before.”
Harper lived alone in Oxford for a while, but she needs more assistance these days, so she now lives in Greenwood and commutes to Oxford four or five days a week.
“It was really hard when I lost what little use I had in my legs,” she explained. “For right now, it’s easier to live here at home.”
Harper said she began writing “Journey of Hope” several years ago, but she really started gaining the momentum to finish it about one year ago through encouragement from her friend Allyn Camp. Harper, who met Camp at First Presbyterian Church, said having her outsider’s perspective on the chapters helped as she wrote.
“I thought if it made sense to her, it would make sense to other people as well,” Harper explained.
Harper’s first book, “Daffodils in the Snow,” was a Bible study devotional published in 1996. Camp said Harper’s strong devotion to God can be found in “Journey of Hope” as well.
“She has a really strong faith, and I think you can see that through the book,” she said.
Beyond just telling the story of her life, Harper said “Journey of Hope” also serves as a tribute to all of the people who have contributed to her happiness, including her parents, Max and Bernice Harper; sister, Wanda Clark; niece, Avent Clark; many friends; and her border collie, Sonny, who appears on the book’s cover.
She got Sonny eight years ago, and he has served as a constant companion ever since, going with Harper everywhere — from shopping at Wal-Mart in Greenwood to teaching classes at Ole Miss.
“Everybody loves him, everybody knows him,” she said.
Mostly though, Harper said she hoped her book would help inspire people to pursue their dreams and give them a greater understanding of people like herself.
“I hope it will help other people see a new side of people with disabilities,” she said.
For more information about Friday’s book signing, call Turnrow at 453-5995 or visit www.turnrowbooks.com.
For more information about Maxine Harper and her book, visit www.maxineharper.com.
