Dr. James E. Harf

Harf, 84, was larger than life, an undeniable force who wrapped those he cared for in a blanket of loyalty, generosity, wit, and kind-heartedness. He lived a grand life, spending his days exploring and studying the world, teaching countless college students — many of whom never had a passport or considered international issues before they met him — how to be good global citizens.

A proud son of Altoona, Pennsylvania, Harf was born on July 27, 1939, to Ernest George Harf, Jr. and Anna Marie (Keirn) Harf. Despite the challenging economic and geopolitical times, he had a very happy childhood that included excelling in multiple sports and serving as an altar boy at the Altoona Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

After graduating from Altoona Catholic High School, Harf earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Secondary Math Education and Social Studies Education from Millersville State College (now Millersville University). There, he was elected President of the Student Council and named one of 11 members of the 1961 graduating class selected for “Who’s Who at Millersville,” the highest honor then awarded to a graduating senior. Harf was a standout Millersville Marauder football player as well, earning status as a three-year starter at offensive end. In 2024, he was named to its Wall of Honor, Millersville’s version of its Hall of Fame.

After college, Harf began his career as a teacher of math and democracy and the head varsity football coach at Bridgeville (DE) High School, where his team competed each year for the conference championship and defeated its rival all four years of his tenure. While at Bridgeville, Harf received his Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Delaware, taking classes at nights and in summers. After the election of President John F. Kennedy in 1960 — a watershed moment in his life — he decided to become a university professor working on the greatest security challenge of his time, the Cold War. As a result, he left Bridgeville to successfully pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science and Russian Studies at Indiana University.

Harf proudly held a faculty position at The Ohio State University in the Department of Political Science from 1969-2001. He also had appointments at OSU’s Behavioral Sciences Laboratory and the Mershon Center. Harf was a Professor Emeritus (and a fervent Buckeye football fan) at the time of his death.

From 2001-08, Harf was Director of International Programs and Professor of Government and World Affairs at the University of Tampa, where he led close to a thousand students on study abroad trips. He was also a Visiting Professor at Huron University in London, England. From 2008-24, Harf served as Associate Vice President and Professor of Political Science at Maryville University in St. Louis and Visiting Professor at OSAP Oxford University Program in Oxford, England.

During his career, Harf published over 40 authored or edited academic books. His debut novel, Memories of Ivy, chronicles a tale of a decades-long affair of the heart, set on the campus of Duke University. He was writing a second novel, Letters from Dad, at the time of his death.

Harf traveled extensively around the world. Among many other adventures, he climbed the Great Wall of China several times; watched with daughter Marie while sections of the Berlin Wall were torn down; was struck by lightning while leading a student group in the mountains of Costa Rica; survived a 1983 Irish Republican Army terrorist bombing in London; and climbed on his hands and knees deep inside the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt until he reached the inner burial chamber.

Harf served the causes of freedom and education, and his country, throughout his career, including as a member of President Jimmy Carter’s Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies. His intellectual heart lay in studying the Soviet Union and, later, Russia and the post-Soviet states. He could pose as a native-speaking Russian, a skill he used to observe violent clashes between pro- and anti-government forces in early post-Soviet Russia. After the fall of communism, he helped the Russian government develop a civic education strategy for teaching about democracy and capitalism. As a result of this work, a prized possession of Harf’s was a personal letter from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev thanking Harf for his efforts.

Despite these professional accomplishments, Harf often said that the happiest day of his life was when his daughter, Marie, was born on June 15, 1981. Growing up, he instilled in Marie a love of global issues, travel, and athletics, coaching her in every sport imaginable. As her career advanced, they would talk every night, no matter where either was in the world. They traveled widely together and shared a love of golf, Ohio State football, and politics. They were, quite simply, an incredible daddy-daughter team.

A star athlete throughout his life, Harf was often most at home on the golf course, and he continued to play regularly through last fall with his beloved golf buddies at Forest Hills Country Club. From annual trips to Pinehurst Country Club, with his friends first and then with his daughter, to watching the pros at Augusta, to walking the hallowed ground of St. Andrews, he revered the game of golf. Harf also loved Indy Car racing and attended over 50 Indianapolis 500s, passing that annual tradition onto Marie as well.

Harf is survived by his daughter, Marie Elizabeth Harf, and son-in-law, Joshua Paul Lucas, of Washington, D.C.; ex-wife and close friend Jane Ax Harf, of Granville, Ohio; life partner Claudia Bley, of Cincinnati, Ohio; cousin Marlene Sheets, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; brother-in-law, Matthew Reilly, of Ocala, Florida, and his three children: David Reilly, Denise Boyer, and Deborah Kantner. Harf was preceded in death by his sister, Suzanne Reilly, and his parents.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 am, Saturday, August 17, 2024 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, 1 Cathedral Square, Altoona, PA 16601, celebrated by Msgr. Stanley Carson. Committal will be held at Calvary Cemetery.

Arrangements are provided by The Stevens Mortuary, Inc., 1421 Eighth Ave., Altoona, PA 16602.

In his honor, please consider donating to the Dr. James E. Harf Memorial Fund at Millersville University (contact: Chelsey Wirth: Chelsey.Wirth@millersville.edu). 

Condolences may be made at www.stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com or Stevens Family Funeral Homes Facebook.