The Class of 1978 would like to express our heartfelft sympathy to Pat, Dan & Diane Frazier and families, at the loss on April 26, 2003 of their husband and father, Orville Frazier.  Dr. Frazier forever changed the face of public education in Harlan and Shelby county.  While Harlan has had numerous dedicated public officials on staff over the years, no other single individual has had the impact or accomplishments of Dr. Frazier during his reign.

Orville's son, Dan, is the current superintendent at
A-H-S-T Community School District in Avoca.

Orville Frazier, former Harlan resident and Harlan Community School District Superintendent, died Saturday, April 12, 2003, in Green Valley, Arizona, finally succumbing in a fifteen year battle with Parkinson's Disease.  He was 76 years old.

Orville Parisho Frazier was born in Martensdale, Iowa, July 27, 1926, to Arthur Carey Frazier, the village blacksmith, and Freedom Parisho Frazier, the daughter of the president of Central College in Nebraska.

Growing up in Martensdale, Iowa, he was active in sports.  As a starting pitcher his sophomore year, his small high school won the all-class state baseball championship in 1941.

Graduating from Martensdale in 1944, Frazier enrolled at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.  Most adept at baseball, he was offered contracts with the professional baseball organizations of both the Cardinals and the Reds.  However, he chose instead to pursue his love of teaching and coaching upon his graduation from Simpson in 1948.

Frazier taught and coached in the Iowa communities of Dexter, Griswold, Coon Rapids, and Guthrie Center.  In Guthrie Center he took two girls basketball teams to the state tournament.  He came to Harlan in 1963 and served there until 1988—the last 23 years as Superintendent of Schools.

Frazier earned his bachelor degree from Simpson, his masters and specialist degrees from Drake University, and his doctorate from Pacific States University.  Basing his leadership style on educational research that suggests a strong link between successful activities programs and high academic achieve-ment, Frazier engineered the rebuilding of the Harlan activities programs during the 1960's.

During Frazier's tenure in Harlan he oversaw the construction of Westridge Elementary and Harlan Community High School.  When three outlying parochial high schools closed in 1966, he facilitated their consolidation with Harlan High School.  This had the effect of increasing the high school's enrollment by 75 percent in a single year.

A consummate professional, Frazier served as president of the superintendents of Iowa (IASA) in 1976 and was among the first to propose the merger of school administrator organizations into what is now the School Administrators of Iowa.

Elected to the Board of Directors of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, he served as Board president, and it was his compromise that allowed individual school districts to choose whether they wanted to compete in the newer five-on-five or traditional six-on-six player games.

A leader in school innovation, Frazier was among the first to emphasize computer literacy in the Harlan schools, and Harlan was the first school district in Iowa to offer dual credit classes.  Now a standard of quality in Iowa's high schools, dual credit allows a student to receive college credit for classes taken while still in high school.

Throughout his career, his personal goal was to ensure that all students received the best possible education with the best preparation for their futures.  Over his 15-year retirement, he enjoyed numerous visits from former students who came to express their gratitude for how he had touched their lives.

Honors include the 1976 Diplomate of the Academy for School Executives, the 1983 Iowa Educational Media Association Outstanding Service Award, and the 1986 Lyle T. Quinn Award of the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
Frazier was Harlan, Iowa's Citizen of the Year in 1987.