Obit: Harvey, Robert (1912 - 1992)

Contact: Carol (Purkis) Mitte
Email: mcmitte@tds.net

Surnames: Harvey, Lackore, Hearst, Zuege, Kienzle, Slaats, Robinson, Hancox, Lux

----Sources: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark County, WI) Front page; 05 March 1992

Harvey, Robert (June 28, 1912 - February 28, 1992)

FORMER PRESS PUBLISHER PASSES AWAY

Robert Harvey of Neillsville, WI, a widely-known newspaper publisher and writer, died Friday, February 28, 1992, in Neillsville, WI at Neillsville Memorial Hospital, following a brief illness. Memorial services were held from the Gesche Funeral Home in Neillsville, Monday, March 2, 1992 at 1:00 p.m., with the Rev. Gene Lackore of the United Church of Christ in charge.

Mr. Harvey, who served as president of the Wisconsin Press Association in 1973-1974, was a state and national award-winning writer. He served as a member of the state newspaper association's board of directors for eight years. In 1977, he was honored as a "Distinguished Alumni" by his alma mater, Olivet (Mich.) college, from which he graduated in 1934.

A resident of Neillsville since 1938, he joined his father, Wells Fox Harvey, Sr., and brothers Jack and Wells, Jr., as associate editor of The Clark County Press. Prior to that he worked on newspapers in Battle Creek, MI, New York City (Times) and Brooklyn (Daily Eagle).

Since his retirement in 1977, Mr. Harvey has engaged in free-lance writing and has authored a number of novels. He also served as a lecturer in journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and was a member of that department's board of advisors for several years.

Mr. Harvey was born June 28, 1912, in Washington, D. C., where his father was correspondent for the Booth newspapers of Michigan and two Japanese newspapers, the Tokyo Nichi and the Osaka Manichi Shinbum. In 1914, the family moved to Big Rapids, MI where his father had purchased the Big Rapids Pioneer, a daily newspaper, and the Mecosta County Herald, a weekly, which he combined. A few years later he purchased and published the Osceola County Herald, a weekly newspaper published in Reed City, MI.

The family remained in big Rapids until 1928, where young Harvey took part in basketball, track and baseball during his three years in high school there. During one of those years, the team won its way into the state high school tournament in Class B.

In 1928, Mr. Harvey sold his Michigan newspaper properties and joined the William Randolph Hearst publishing organization. He assumed duties as business manager of The American Weekly, a Sunday magazine section, which was circulated in all Hearst Sunday newspapers. It printed 5.5 million copies weekly. In five pressrooms scattered over the Continental United States. At that time the family relocated in White Plains, NY, where the young Mr. Harvey was graduated from high school in 1930.

He entered Olivet College in the fall of that year. He was a member of the Adelphic fraternity and served a term as its Speaker. He played in the college basketball team, which won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship in 1932.

After going to Neillsville, he became editor, publisher and owner of The Clark County Press. Under his stewardship, the newspaper won a number of state and national awards and was recognized as one of the leading community newspapers of the state and nation.

He was married on October 25, 1941 to the former Dorene Zuege. They observed their golden wedding anniversary in 1991. They are the parents of three children; Mrs. Cheryl Kienzle of Davenport, IA, Dr. Robert T. Harvey, a Neillsville optometrist; and Mrs. Gary (Jane Deene) Slaats, a Madison media consultant. Two grandchildren, Kurt Kienzle of Davenport, IA, and Koy Kienzle of Des Moines, IA, also survive. There is one great-grandchild, Nikki Kienzle of Davenport, IA. Also surviving is one brother, Dr. Wells F. Harvey, Jr. of Denver CO.

His parents were the late Wells Fox Harvey Sr. and Lululee Robinson Harvey. Deceased brothers and sisters include: Mrs. Robert Rex (Margaret) Hancox of Kansas City, MO; E. William Harvey of Phoenix, AZ; and John D. Harvey of Brookfield, WI; and Mrs. Frances Lux of Denver, CO.