James Jim Harner, 70, passed away peacefully on May 26 in Richmond, Virginia. James Lowell Harner was born March 24, 1946, to Thomas Lloyd Harner and Ruth Ellen (Clark) Harner in Washington.
After graduating from Washington High School in 1964, he received his B.S. (magna cum laude) from Indiana State University in 1967 and his Ph.D. from the University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign in 1972. He was a professor of English at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) from 1971-1988; from 1988 to 2015, he was a professor of English at Texas A&M University, where he was named the Samuel Rhea Gammon Professor of Liberal Arts in 2000.
A noted bibliographer, he was the author or editor of more than 30 books (print and electronic) including the Modern Language Associations Literary Research Guide (which went through six editions and which, in 2009, received the American Publishers Association award for the best humanities electronic publication and was named one of the Times Literary Supplements highly selective books of the year for 2009). For his editing of the World Shakespeare Bibliography Online (1988-2015), he received both the Besterman Medal and the Besterman/McColvin medals (the only person to have received both).
For many years, he was a member of the Marshall Scholarship Selection Committee, and served at the chair of the Southwestern Region committee from 2009-2011.
A lifelong book collector, he amassed the worlds most complete collection of miniature editions of Shakespeare.
He was a dedicated foodie, loved good wines, and enjoyed sailing on tall ships. His most important achievement: he married his high-school sweetheart.
He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years Darinda Harner and daughter Lenee (Robbie) Pennington and two granddaughters, Adele and Savannah; two brothers-in-law, Don (Marilyn) Wilson and Dick (Karen) Wilson; along with many nieces and nephews. Two memorial services will be held, one was on June 20 at 3 p.m. at Brandermill Woods Retirement Community in Midlothian, Virginia, and the second will be held Aug. 6 in Washington at the screened pavilion located at East Side Park at 11 a.m.