Claire Ray Harper & David Harper

Claire Ray Harper (1917-2011) was born Khairunisa Inayat Khan. The youngest child of American Ora Ray Baker and Indian Hazrat Inayat Khan, Claire trained as a pianist and a nurse, and during World War II she worked in British hospitals and in Dr. Heatley’s pencillin laboratory. Following the war, Claire moved between the United States and Europe while working and raising her son David Ray Harper.

David Harper was born in New York, N.Y., and moved to Paris, France at the age of five. Growing up in the heart of a multilingual family, he was bilingual at an early age and his school years were spent both in France and the United States where his studies focused mainly on music, acting and philosophy.

Always eager to adapt to new situations he has gained experience in many professional fields: as translator, stonemason, farmer, lecturer, writer, pop singer and language teacher. In 1986 David began working as a tour guide in Berchtesgaden, Germany, and started a sightseeing company there in 1990. His research has focused on the history of this well-known region and World War II.