Lawrence Harper

Lawrence (Larry) Harper, Professor Emeritus of Human Development at UC Davis, passed away at his home in Davis, on July 14, 2022, at the age of 87. Larry is survived by his wife, Kathy Harper; his children, Michael (Aarti) Harper and Lisa (Nate) Lewis; and his grandchildren, Spencer, Lexie, Natasha, and Leela.

Born in Oakland, California, Larry was the son of Lawrence A. Harper, a professor of history at UC Berkeley, and Anna McCune Harper, a professional tennis player. Larry attended UC Berkeley, where he was on the water polo team and was in ROTC. After graduating with a B.A. in sociology, he served on a Navy destroyer in the Pacific Fleet. Following his military service, Larry returned to UC Berkeley for his Ph.D. in psychology, where he met his future wife, Kathy. After they married, Larry and Kathy moved to Washington, D.C., for Larry to complete his postdoctoral training at the Child Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. In 1969, they returned to California, and Larry joined the faculty of the recently established Human Development program at UC Davis, where he remained until his retirement in 2012.

Professor Harper served as chair of the Department of Human and Community Development from 1989 to 1998. Under his leadership, many excellent new faculty were hired, bringing with them state-of-the-art research programs. Moreover, Larry oversaw major growth in the number of undergraduate Human Development majors, and the addition of a doctoral program in Human Development.

Larry Harper was a terrific colleague. In addition to being kind, thoughtful, and generous with his time, he seemed to know something (and often a great deal) about any given topic or issue in human development. His breadth of knowledge was based on years of voracious reading, not only of journal articles relevant to his research on development in infancy & early childhood, but also of his weekly issues of Science and Nature. Much to our amusement, and to the UC Davis Fire Marshal's dismay, Larry kept many years’ worth of his journals in tall stacks that covered just about every available surface in his office, except for his desk chair and a visitor’s chair. In any case, any of us faculty could chat with him about our research endeavors & interests and learn something new from Larry in that conversation!

Given Larry’s vast knowledge base and intellectual curiosity, it is unsurprising that the body of scholarly works he produced is impressive in both breadth and quality. His journal articles covered topics such as: the cognitive and social aspects of young children’s play and linkages to later developmental milestones, including academic achievement, language development, and pro-social behaviors; the effects of children’s behaviors on multiple aspects of their caregivers’ behavior; and the impact of adults’ eating behaviors on young children’s acceptance of unfamiliar foods. Larry's most impactful journal article was the very thoughtful and substantial Psychological Bulletin (2005) article titled "Epigenetic inheritance and the intergenerational transfer of experience." His first book, Child Effects on Adults (co-authored with Richard Bell, in 1977) was one of the first scholarly treatises on the “other” side of childrearing and socialization, that is, the way in which parents and other caregiving adults are themselves molded by the very children they are trying to rear. This was a trail-blazing book at a time when the great majority of scholars were focused only on caregiver effects on children’s development. Another of Larry's books, The Nurture of Human Behavior, published in 1989, presents a model of the co-action of genes and environment, in terms of developmental and evolutionary biology and then applies the model to developmental psychology. This book was lauded by a reviewer as “a provocative review of empirical research with an impressively broad scope, and as an exemplary work of theoretical psychology”; due to continued interest and relevance, it has recently been reprinted by the publisher.

Former graduate students who were mentored by Larry Harper expressed their appreciation for his intellect and generosity, along with his joy in discovery and learning. Moreover, these former students conveyed that Larry modeled core values of scientific inquiry and scholarship, which have stayed with them throughout their own academic careers. Larry was also deeply committed to providing support and guidance for junior faculty who sought his advice.

While Larry had many achievements as a scholar, teacher, and department leader, he was also a wonderful person. He was kind and generous, and he didn't take himself too seriously. In fact, he had a wry sense of humor that was not apparent until one had gotten to know him. Physical fitness was important to Larry. He always rode his bike to campus and was an avid weightlifter. Much to everyone's amusement and amazement, Larry agreed to be in the "muscle man" show, in the old Recreation Hall, for Picnic Day in 1988. Moreover, Larry was quite particular about his diet; he ate only two meals a day, with eggs and steak being the focus of breakfast and dinner, respectively. Larry enjoyed the outdoors, especially spending time at the family’s cabin (built by his beloved grandfather) in Kenwood. He spent many summer weekends hunting and hiking, sharing his favorite place with his family and friends. Sadly, the cabin was burned down in one of the many California wildfires in 2020. 

All of us who knew Larry Harper as a colleague, friend, and/or mentor have great appreciation and affection for him. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.

Beth A. Ober
Zhe Chen
Lenna Ontai