Dr. Harold E. Gourley, 78, of Evansville, Ind., passed away on February 27, 2005, at St. Mary's Medical Center.

Harold was born in Princeton, Ind., March 24, 1926, to Lola Victoria (Coomer) Gourley and William Alva Gourley.

He graduated from Princeton High School in 1944. Harold worked at the

Evansville Shipyards during high school and then served in the United States Navy on the LST 866 in the South Pacific during WWII from 1944-1946.

He received his bachelor's degree from Evansville College and received his Masters and Doctorate in Education from Indiana University. Dr. Gourley retired from the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation in 1996, from the position of principal of Highland Elementary School. He was also a longtime member of Methodist Temple. He was inducted to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004. Harold was a 33rd Degree Mason in the Reed Masonic Lodge. He was also a member of the Gibson County Historical Society.

An Indiana Final Four official in basketball, he retired from that avocation, but continued as an official at track and cross country meets long after his retirement from Highland School in 1996. University of Evansville (U of E) cross country coach Don Walters said "Harold was one of our biggest backers. Probably a lot of people don't know that he ran track and cross country at U of E when it was Evansville College."

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joyce D. (McDonald) Gourley; daughters, Karen A. LeMond and her husband, Darrell and Jane E. Gourley; son, Brian H. Gourley and his wife, Laurie; grandchildren, Aaron Reinbrecht and his wife, LaDonna, Joshua Reinbrecht and his wife, Kim Scotland, and McKayley, Ella and Blaise Gourley; and great-grandchildren, Lisa, Erin and Cody Reinbrecht, Ashley Garrett and Haley Reinbrecht.

He was preceded in death by his son, Scott McDonald Gourley, in 1958, and his parents.

Funeral services were held March 2, 2005, at Browning Funeral Home., with Rev. Robert Coleman officiating. Burial at Oak Hill Cemetery, where the Princeton VFW Post No. 1147 conducted military rites.