Family, friends, colleagues and students gathered on Friday afternoon to celebrate the life of Harper Gaushell. Gaushell, a professor of marriage and family therapy, passed away Feb. 22, one day before his 69th birthday.
Gaushell was born and raised in Baton Rouge and received his undergraduate degree in psychology from LSU, two graduate degrees from Northeast Louisiana University and his doctorate from the University of Houston. Gaushell worked as a professor at the University of Houston and then at NLU, now ULM, for the past 33 years.
During his time here at ULM, Gaushell helped create the marriage and family therapy department and helped to make the ULM MAFT program the first dual-accredited program in the nation.
The speakers at the service talked not only of Gaushell’s teaching credentials but also of his passions, his curiosity and his constant desire to learn more.
Don Locke, one of Gaushell’s former colleagues and friends, talked about Gaushell’s penchant for always trying new things in life, including but not limited to making his own soft drinks, tending to his hydroponic garden, designing a geodesic greenhouse, making his own Halloween costumes, riding motorcycles and owning a pet monkey named Quincy.
Another passion of Gaushell was playing bass for the faculty jazz band on campus.
Gaushell’s passion for jazz music was demonstrated during the memorial service by musical performances throughout the service, including a special rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” by Brad Kinney to commemorate a portion of Gaushell’s ashes being launched into space on a rocket.
Locke also talked about the impact that Gaushell left on his life, his co-worker’s lives and his student’s lives.
“I am so thankful that my life intersected with Harper’s. I am thankful that he possessed vision, that he was willing to take risks, that he always asked questions and that he believed in the importance of being positive and developing lasting relationships,” Locke said. “We are all better people because he shared himself with us.”
Another one of Gaushell’s lifelong friends and co-workers, Charles Pryor, talked about the legacy that Gaushell left on his friends and students. Pryor said Gaushell left behind a legacy of love and compassion, using verses from the Bible to express his thoughts.
“Harper is patient and kind. Harper is not jealous or boastful or proud. Harper is not rude. He does not demand his own way. He is not irritable. He keeps no record of being wronged. He does not rejoice about injustice. Harper never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance,” Pryor said.
This sentiment was resounded throughout the service, with the speakers talking about how kind he was and how they never heard him say a negative word to another person.
Gaushell is survived by his wife Bev and his children Kelsey and Morgan.
