From the moment George Irby met Bobby Harper in 1980 on a bus ride to Vicksburg, he quickly learned that wherever there was work to be done, Harper was already there “in the grease.”
Through the decades, the two served side by side on numerous civic boards, including the Golden Triangle Regional Airport board of directors, the National Bank of Commerce advisory board and the Helping Hands board of directors.
“He was one of the most community-minded individuals that I met in Columbus, always involved in being on boards and … had a concern for the community in terms of doing things,” Irby told The Dispatch on Tuesday. “… I don’t think there’s anything that Bobby could have asked me that I wouldn’t try to do … just because he was involved in it. I knew the caliber of the person (he was), and so I knew that anything he was involved with was worthwhile and something that was going to be good, not for him or me, but for this community.”
Harper, born April 18, 1941, in Grenada, passed away Sunday after an extended illness. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with visitation beginning at 1 p.m.
A banker of more than 60 years, Harper began his career at Grenada Trust and Banking Company before moving to Columbus in 1966 where he joined the National Bank of Commerce, according to Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory. He later served as president of NBC before going on to serve as regional president of Cadence Bank, then as senior vice president to Renasant Bank, where he remained as an officer until 2025.
Harper wore many hats throughout his life, serving on boards for Mississippi Young Bankers, Columbus Kiwanis Club, Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Mississippi University for Women’s Town and Tower Club and the MUW Foundation, Frank P. Phillips YMCA, Mississippi Economic Council, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Council, Helping Hands, Golden Triangle Regional Airport, Golden Triangle Regional Medical Foundation and the Golden Triangle Development LINK.
No debt too small
Harper was there at the beginning of the LINK in 2003, according to Joe Max Higgins, the organization’s former CEO.
“It wasn’t that long after I got there that Bobby came in and said, … ‘I believe in you, I believe in your program and I want to play wherever you need me to play,’” Higgins said. “… I said, ‘Bobby, to be honest with you, I need $2 1/2, $3 million over the next five years,’ and he said, ‘Oh my.’”
From there, Higgins and Harper developed The Trust, a group of private sector business partners who serve as the LINK’s boosters. After three fundraising campaigns and plenty of “arm twisting,” Higgins said Harper was single-handedly responsible for raising more than $7 million for the organization, an effort that played a crucial role in the LINK’s success.
“I can tell you this, if Bobby Harper hadn’t stepped up to the plate and swung like he did, we wouldn’t have won as big as we won,” Higgins said.
In recognition of those efforts, the LINK dedicated part of its new office in 2025 as the “Bobby Harper Training Room.” Higgins said Harper accepted the honor humbly, in “true Bobby fashion,” once he realized Higgins was not asking him to help with another fundraiser.
More than a colleague, Harper was a friend to many.
“You never got the feeling that he was looking to feather his own nest or get something out from you,” Higgins said. “So subsequently, on good days or bad days, days you needed to vent, days you needed to cry, days you needed to tell somebody something fun was fixing to happen … Bobby was the kind of guy you could tell that to.”
Jimmy Graham met Harper when he first came to Columbus in 1966. What began as a simple business relationship between banker and customer, both “green and new,” grew into a friendship of 60 years, Graham said.
For years, Harper joined Graham, Bobby and Bill Lancaster for Wednesday evening trips to grab a bite to eat. Their last outing together came just before Christmas, when the group drove to Pheba’s Diner for burgers. On the drive home, with just a few miles left, Harper suddenly realized he had forgotten to pay for his soft serve ice cream cone.
“We told him not to worry, (that) we would catch up next trip,” Graham told The Dispatch. “… No way were we going to turn around and make the 80-mile round trip so he could pay for his $2.50 cone of ice cream.”
At their next dinner at Pheba’s Diner, Harper was too ill to make the trip, but when the group arrived, the owner immediately asked about him. She told them the day after Harper’s last visit, he had driven right back to Pheba to pay the $2.50 debt he owed for his ice cream.
“We were not surprised at all,” Graham said. “That was Bobby. That’s just how he was. He was a good friend to many and is going to be missed dearly.”
Harper is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jo Harper; his son and daughter-in-law, Lane and Linda Harper; his daughter and son-in-law Neely and Joey Hudnall; as well as his grandchildren and granddaughter.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
