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Private James Edward Glasper

An older African American man looking into the camera. He is bald on the top with gray hair on the sides and a gray beard. He is sitting at a table in a house and wearing a striped sweater.
  • Date of Birth: April 5, 1934
  • Entered the Military: July 1, 1954
  • Date of Death: February 14, 2023
  • Hometown: Vladermier, North Carolina
  • Place of Death: Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Award(s): National Defense Medal and the Paratrooper Badge
  • Cemetery: section B3, site 73. Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, Bluffdale, Utah
Contributed by Ellie Allred, Maysen Baranowski, Jasmine Burnett, Jessi Christensen, Ryker Dallinga, Izola Dunlevy, Ideyn Estrada, Logan Forbes, Harper Gregersen, Elle, Jane, Malachi Johns, Gunnar Knudsen, Kieran Langeland, Evelyn Lee, Witten Lundberg, Micah Mecham, Jordan Mendoza, Kylianne O'Gwin, Ambyer, Hailey Quillen, Gabriel Reynolds, Oliver Schofield, Lana Seale, Aiden Smith, Dani Stoddard, and Treyson Taylor
Mentored by Mrs. Heidi Stone
Syracuse Arts Academy Junior High School (Syracuse, Utah)
2024/2025

Early Life

Private James Edward Glasper was born on April 5, 1934, in Vandemere, North Carolina, to loving parents, Alonzo Glasper and Izoria Glasper. He had four siblings, Lazel, Caroline, Edna, and E. Faye.

Glasper attended and graduated from West High School in New Bern, North Carolina. Until the 1950s, this was the only K-12 public school for African Americans in New Bern. He then attended North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) in Durham. While attending, he played the trombone in the North Carolina College marching band. 

A young African-American man looks directly into the camera. He is wearing a jacket and tie.
James Glasper as a young man. Courtesy of Sonya Little-Jones and Karynthia Phillips.
A clean-cut African-American man looks slightly off to the side. He is wearing a suit jacket and tie.
James Glasper’s North Carolina College yearbook photo. Ancestry.
James Glasper with members of the North Carolina College marching band. He on the left, playing the trombone. The Durham Sun, October 29, 1959.

Homefront

In the 1950s, New Bern, North Carolina, was known for its beautiful greenery. Two rivers bordered the region, with the Neuse River Bridge considered the key landmark. Although it was primarily rural, things began to change in the late 1940s with the introduction of electricity, which altered the way farming was conducted. A bonus of electricity was that it allowed farmers to move away from manual and animal labor on the farm to electric motors, which powered pumps, milking machines, grain elevators, and small tractors. With the invention of the refrigerator, farmers were also able to store perishables, such as milk, meat, and produce. This led to higher profits and less waste as products had a longer shelf-life. 

The North Carolina Shipping Company built 243 “Victory Class” and “Liberty Class” ships during World War II. While the company shut down after World War II, some of these ships were brought back into service during the Korean War. One ship, the SS Meredith Victory, was especially significant, as it was used in the evacuation of 14,000 refugees in a single trip during the war—a huge humanitarian effort by a single ship. 

Located near New Bern, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point played a crucial role in supporting the military during the Korean War. It trained pilots, aircrew, and maintenance workers to replace those in frontline aviation units. During World War II, North Carolina built and expanded four air bases that remained in operation to support the Korean War effort. They are all still in operation today. The state’s open farmland and strategic East Coast location—ideal for protecting shipping routes—made it especially valuable for military development. Its mild winters also allowed pilots to train year-round.

A large ship is tied up at a dock.
The SS Meredith Victory. Korean War Memorial Foundation.
A satellite map view of the location of the air station.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command.
An aerial black and white photograph of an airstrip, landing pad with a few planes parked, and a few training buildings. The facility is situated in the middle of an open field with minimal tree coverage.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point’s “flightline”—the area of a military base where aircraft are parked, maintained, loaded, and prepared for flight. Carolina Museum of the Marine.

Military Experience

On July 1, 1954, James Glasper was drafted into the U.S. Army at Raleigh, North Carolina. At Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he underwent rigorous training to become a paratrooper. Part of a paratrooper’s training is working on airborne skills, including the daring job of jumping from planes with firearms, safely landing at the objective, and fighting to the best of their abilities, all while entering enemy territory.

The airborne training takes three weeks. Some daily tasks included weapons training, parachute rigging and maintenance, as well as physical exercises. Much later in life when Glasper flew in a civilian airplane as a passenger, he commented that it was the first time he had landed in an airplane, rather than outside of it with a parachute. 

After serving for two years, Glasper was awarded the National Defense Medal and the Paratrooper Badge for his service and was honorably discharged from the Army on July 29, 1956.

Paratroopers jumping out of C-123 airplanes. Air Facts.

Veteran Experience

Life After Service

Private Glasper stayed in North Carolina and married Virginia Hazel in early 1961. He was employed as a conductor, bandmaster, and teacher at North Carolina Central University. He and his wife, Hazel, lived with their two young children, James and Karynthia, in campus housing. 

Later, he and his brother-in-law moved to New Haven, Connecticut, for work in city sanitation. After saving enough money, he sent for his family of six children. He hoped that moving them to Connecticut would provide them with a better life.

Together, he and Virginia had a total of eight children: Karynthia, James, Blondina, Demetry, Stephanie, Stephan, Thia, and Terrance. After years of bliss and turbulence, the couple eventually separated and later divorced. 

The Move to Utah

After divorcing Hazel, Glasper visited his sisters in Utah and decided to make it his home. Glasper married Helen Fisher in July 1977, and became a father to her daughter, Sonya. He was affectionately nicknamed “Daddy Jim.” The nickname stuck, and he was forever known as “Daddy Jim” by his family. He had a deep knowledge of his Lord and Savior. He loved to pray, listen to his children pray, and sing with them. Continuing his passion for music, James Glasper taught music at Hillside Junior High School.

Glasper also became a singer and musician for the Utah Travelers Gospel Group, which performed across the state. Additionally, he was a music minister for several churches throughout the Salt Lake Valley, including his home church, Unity Baptist Church. He loved music so much that it was normal to see him playing piano whenever one was available. 

At age 41, he assisted with the Utah Youth Symphony and occasionally conducted it. He was also a conductor and trombonist for the West Valley Symphonic Orchestra. Most of all, he loved teaching and sharing his love of music with many students. 

After retirement, Glasper worked as a crossing guard for a local school. In that role, he liked to play music and dance in the crosswalk while blowing his whistle, which provoked smiles on all the children’s faces as they crossed the street. 

James E. Glasper’s time in the military had a profound impact on him, and he chose to reside at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City during the final years of his life. He loved the comradeship of being around fellow military members. He was proud to have served in the United States Army. 

ALT: Seven African American men are in matching suits standing on a stage with their instruments. It is a black and white photograph from a newspaper.
James Glapser with the Utah Travelers Gospel Group. Courtesy of Sonya Little-Jones and Karynthia Phillips.
An elderly African American man is dressed in a green suitjacket with a light green shirt and metallic green tie and matching pocket square. He is wearing a tan fedora.
James Glasper loved to dress up; he even had matching shoes with this outfit. Courtesy of Sonya Little-Jones and Karynthia Phillips.

Commemoration

James E. Glasper will always be remembered for his love of music and the manner by which he inspired others through it. He believed it helped people to thrive. Like Glasper, we should draw inspiration from our life experiences. We can impact our world by sharing our passions with others, just as he did. Glasper transitioned to his heavenly home on February 14, 2023, after leaving his mark on the world through filling it with his music and his contagious smile.

He is buried at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park in Bluffdale, Utah.

A flat marker is engraved with “James E Glasper PVT US Army NDSM APR 5 1934 FEB 14 2023 Beloved Family Man and Friend to All.” Around the grave are two framed photos of Glasper that were included in the above profile, two American flags, and a tulip plant.
James Glasper’s grave at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park in Bluffdale, Utah. Courtesy of Heidi Stone.
A large group of students and family members stand around Glasper’s grave marker.
Syracuse Arts Academy students with Sonja Little-Jones at James Glasper’s eulogy reading. Courtesy of Heidi Stone.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Carraway, Gertrude Sprague. New Bern, North Carolina Industrially: A Modern City with Historic Traditions. East Carolina Digital Collections, 1940. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/16928.

“Concert Will Assist Effort to Build a Chapel, Save a Life.” Salt Lake Tribune [Salt Lake City, UT], April 4, 1979. Utah Digital Newspaper Archives. https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=28761399&q=%22James+Glasper%22&sort=rel&year_start=1973&year_end=2006. 

North Carolina College at Durham Yearbook, 1958. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012. Digital image. https://ancestry.com.

James Eddie Glasper. North Carolina Department of Archives and History – Index to Vital Records 1800-2000. Digital Images. https://familysearch.org.

“James Edward Glasper.” Russon Mortuary and Crematory. Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.russonmortuary.com/obituaries/james-glasper.

“Glasper Never Makes Noise.” Salt Lake Tribune [Salt Lake City, UT], December 7, 1975. Utah Digital Newspapers. https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=30699338&q=%22James+Glasper%22&sort=rel&year_start=1973&year_end=2006. 

Glasper Family Photographs. Courtesy of Sonya Little-Jones and Karynthia Phillips.

Little-Jones, Sonya. Interview with the author. November 21, 2024.

North Carolina. New Bern County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Phillips, Karynthia. Interview with the author. November 21, 2024.

“Utah Travelers-Misc. Everything Under the Sun.” Hill Top Times [Hill Air Force Base, UT], Feb. 17, 1978. Utah Digital Newspapers.

Secondary Sources

“300 Years of History.” Craven County Economic Development. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://www.cravencountync.gov/2122/History.

“About: Welcome to MCAS Cherry Point.” United States Marine Corps. Accessed November 12, 2024. https://www.cherrypoint.marines.mil/About.

“Airborne Overview.” UCCS Army Reserve Officers’ Training. University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Accessed Jan. 1, 2025. https://armyrotc.uccs.edu/academics/schools/airborne.

“Chapter 5 Camp Lejeune During the Korean War.” Semper Fidelis: Popular History of Camp Lejeune. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Accessed January 2, 2025. https://www.lejeune.marines.mil/Portals/27/Documents/EMD/Cultural-Resources/Semper%20Fidelis%20Popular%20History%20Publication/11_Chapter%205.pdf.

Gerard, Philip. “1940s: The Decade of Transformation.” Our State. Updated August 14, 2024. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://www.ourstate.com/the-1940s-the-decade-of-transformation.

Hanchett, T., & Little, R. The History and Architecture of Long Wharf and Greater Duffyfield: African American Neighborhoods in New Bern, North Carolina. North Carolina Historic Preservation Office, 1994. https://cms7files.revize.com/newbernnc/Parks%20and%20Rec/2.8%20-%20The%20History%20and%20Architecture%20of%20Long%20Wharf%20and%20Greater%20Duffyfield.pdf.

“James Edward Glasper.” Find a Grave. Updated July 21, 2023. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/256896636/james-edward-glasper.

“James E. Glasper.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed October 19, 2024. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/JAMESEGLASPER/a2e956. 

Kicker, Troy L. “Civil Rights Movement.” North Carolina History Project. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/civil-rights-movement.

“The Korean War Era.” U.S. Army Center of Military History. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/korea/intro/index.html.

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: J.T. Barber School. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 2008. Accessed April 24, 2025. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/CV2056.pdf. 

“North Carolina Shipbuilding Company.” NCPedia. Accessed 25, 2024. https://www.ncpedia.org/wwii/nc-shipbuilding-company.

Thomas, Dean. “Paratroopers of the 1950s: in the trees, at night.” Air Facts. Accessed April 24, 2025. https://airfactsjournal.com/2021/10/paratroopers-of-the-1950s-in-the-trees-at-night/. 

“SS MEREDITH VICTORY.” U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. Updated Feb. 28, 2022. Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.maritime.dot.gov/history/gallant-ship-award/ss-meredith-victory.

“Tour Historic MCBCL.” United States Marine Corps. Accessed January 1, 2025. https://www.lejeune.marines.mil/Offices-Staff/Environmental-Mgmt/Cultural-Resources/History-Live/Tour-Historic-MCBCL.

“Visit the Birthplace of Pepsi – NC!” Island Life NC, North Carolina Coast Lifestyle Magazine. Accessed November 25, 2024. https://islandlifenc.com/nc-birthplace-pepsi.

“What Is the Job of a Paratrooper in the U.S.?” CollegeVine. Accessed December 22, 2025. https://www.collegevine.com/faq/160677/what-is-the-job-of-a-paratrooper-in-the-u-s.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.