Here's his biography:
Harvey, George W.
Born: November 14, 1911, in Dubois, Pennsylvania
Died:
Literary Vocations: athlete, author, coach, conservationist, fly fisherman, fly tier, public speaker, poet, researcher, teacher.
Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Dubois, Clearfield County; University Park, Centre County; Lansdale, Montgomery County; Mont Alto, Franklin County
Keywords: Dubois High School, Penn State University-Main Campus, Penn State University-Mont Alto,
Techniques of Fly Tying and Trout Fishing, Techniques of Trout Fishing and Fly Tying, George Harvey: Memories, Patterns and Tactics, Spring Creek Heritage Award, George Harvey Fishing Section, Fly Fishing Hall of Fame
Abstract: George Harvey was born November 14, 1911 in Dubois, Pennsylvania. He went to Dubois Area High School upon returning the community after he moved to Lansdale, PA. Harvey was an extremely successful athlete and outdoorsmen. Harvey attended Penn State University from 1931-1935 and graduated with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. After his graduation and an attempt at making the Olympics he accepted a teaching position at Mont Alto's campus teaching physical education and horticulture courses while being the soccer coach at that branch campus. He spent two summers teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, and then he accepted a position at Penn State University's Main Campus. He taught over 35,000 students in his fly fishing course, and later would become the Head of the Required Physical Education classes at Penn State. He retired in 1972, and enjoys his life of writing, fishing and learning more about the sport of fly fishing and fly tying. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania and still leads a healthy, active life.
Biography:
George W. Harvey was born on November 14, 1911 in Dubois, Pennsylvania. His parents, Archibald and Zora Harvey, raised their son George Harvey in the coal-mining town until one of the many coal strikes took place and then their family was forced to move to Lansdale, Pennsylvania because his father took a job as a stock farmer. This farm would be recognized later for allowing Harvey to find his love for the sport of fishing. On this farm Harvey recollects his first fishing memory the small stream that ran through the farms surroundings. His father broke off a stick and tied on line and a hook and he enjoyed his first hook-up catching a few chubs that day. This would not be the last fish that he caught in his lifetime.
His family moved back to Dubois because his father took a new job managing the Morningside Cemetery. Harvey spent most of his childhood assisting his father at the cemetery and when he was not helping his father one could assume three activities he was doing. Harvey was either hunting, running or knee deep in a stream fishing to provide dinner for his parents, brother (Charles) and sister (Hazel). As a boy everyone knew him as the “Indian,” because he would catch all of the fish. Harvey's fishing skills believe it or not were matched by his ability to run. He and his childhood friends would race to almost anywhere they went, and during his junior and senior year of high school he never lost a single cross country or track contest. As the time came Harvey and his father Archibald felt that he should learn more and take over his job at the cemetery once he retired. Harvey applied to Pennsylvania State University and was accepted for the fall semester of 1931.
At 19, Harvey began his first semester at Penn State. That year he made his decision based on the cemetery job his father obtained that he would major in ornamental horticulture. He would graduate in 1935, but there was certainly more that he accomplished at Penn State University over those years. Harvey's father gave him minimal amounts of money because he did not make that much, so he worked two jobs, waiting tables and taking care of his fraternity's (Phi Kappa Sigma) furnace. Harvey also is the only athlete in the history of Penn State athletics to have captained the freshman and varsity track and cross country team. Over the span of his career as an athlete he only lost two races, and the one race he actually won, but the officials saw it a different way. In 1936, he was offered the opportunity to compete in the USA Olympic Trials; however he was diagnosed with pneumonia and did not get to compete. Another event that took place in Harvey's career at Penn State was his first encounter with the Dean of the Agriculture College, Dean Ralph Watts. Dean Watts gave a speech on agriculture and then he mentioned that if anyone ever wanted to learn about fishing, that he'd be glad to take them along and teach them about fishing. So Harvey went to see Dean Watts the day before the trout season opened, and after struggling to get into a meeting with the Dean, Harvey was allowed to go in his office and he asked if he could go fishing with him. The Dean agreed, picked him up the next morning and by the end of that day Harvey had caught his limit of 25 fish and threw a bunch more back, and the he approached the Dean and caught two fish. From that point on Harvey was sought after among his professors and then the creation of his fly fishing class occurred in 1934. It is the United States first non-credited course in fly fishing, and taught over 35,000 students in his lifetime. Later that same class would be offered with credit in 1947, also giving Harvey the first credited fly fishing course in the United States.
Once Harvey was finished his education he continued teaching this fly fishing course among other Physical Education classes. During the summer's he would work for the Fish Commission at Fisherman's Paradise. He would teach a daily class on both casting and fly tying and then spent the rest of the day patrolling and helping other anglers. Another important job that he had in the summer was conducting his study on brook trout in Kettle Creek. Both of these jobs provided him with great information about trout and fly fishing.
In 1935, Harvey went to Penn State Mont Alto, because they wanted to establish a physical education program at their Forestry School. Harvey taught all the physical education courses, horticulture course and coached soccer.
In 1940, Harvey met what he calls the “His Greatest Catch,” his wife Helen. They married after only a few months and never argued once through their 54 year marriage before she passed away. They had a daughter Susie who is still alive and resides in Arizona. Through their marriage they loved to do everything together and eventually ended up tying flies on a night basis together, and earned enough money thereby that they paid off the mortgage on their house entirely.
Following his job at Mont Alto's branch campus of Penn State for seven years, he moved to main campus in 1942 and began teaching physical education, because he did not have a degree is physical education he was never employed as a full-time professor so instead he worked his ways up the ranks and ended up becoming the Head of Required Physical Education at Penn State. He remained at Penn State University until 1972 when he decided it was time to retire and completely enjoy fly fishing. Once he retired he began his literary career.
His first book that he wrote was published in 1976 and was titled
Techniques of Fly Tying and Trout Fishing, and he would later re-write this and augment this book and re-release the book entitled
Techniques of Trout Fishing and Fly Tying. He composed numerous articles with his findings and techniques in countless Fly Fishing Magazines, and recently co-authored with Dan Shields a biography on his life entitled
George Harvey: Memories, Patterns and Tactics released in 1998. Luckily Shields got a hold of Harvey because he would interview him and then would take the information compiled and put together this book. Harvey also likes to write poetry, his most notable work was his poem he wrote years ago entitled
The Fly Fisherman. Harvey's name is listed in hundreds of publications regarding his contributions to the sport of fly fishing, techniques, or other fly tying advice. He has given talks in 68 cities in the state of Pennsylvania and has lectured in hundreds of towns.
Today Harvey resides in his home in Park Forest, Pennsylvania where he enjoys life being retired. He is still heavily involved within the sport of fishing giving lectures, writing columns and doing interviews for fly fishing magazines. Annually former President Jimmy Carter still visits Harvey to embark in their fishing trip to Spruce Creek located in Pennsylvania. Even though he is in his mid-90's, he still leads a reasonably active life although time has taken a toll on Harvey slowing him down considerably. He still logs a few miles a day at a local mall, and when he is not doing that he takes long car rides checking up on the local streams that made him “The Dean of Fly Fishing.”
Works:
- Techniques of Trout Fishing and Fly Tying. Harrisburg, PA: The Pennsylvania Boat Commission, 1976.
- Techniques of Fly Tying and Trout Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: The Pennsylvania Boat Commission, 1990.
- George Harvey: Memories, Patterns and Tactics. Lemont, PA: DSL Enterprises, 1998
- The Fly Fisherman. State College, PA: George Harvey, 1997.
- “Cicadas on the Fly.” Fly Fisherman: 1992.
- “Lore of the Lure.” Fly Fisherman: Oct. 2003
Sources:
- Harvey, George W. Techniques of Fly Tying and Trout Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: The Pennsylvania Fish Commission, 1976. 41-53.
- Harvey, George W., and Daniel L. Shields. George Harvey Memoirs, Patterns and Tactics. Lemont, PA: DLS Enterprises, 1998. 1-99.
- Kinney, Dave."The Dean of Fly Fishing." Mail Tribune. 2000. Associated Press. 17 Nov. 2005 <http://www.mailtribune.com/primet/images/060600p1.jpg>.
