A former professor and Penn State alumnus with a passion for fly-fishing died last week at Mount Nittany Medical Center, Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers confirmed.
George Harvey, who taught fly-fishing at Penn State for almost 40 years, died last Monday at age 96. Known as the "Dean of American Fly-fishing," Harvey is credited with developing the United States' first fly-fishing course at Penn State in 1934.
Harvey graduated from Penn State in 1935 with an ornamental horticulture degree. He taught physical education and horticulture and coached soccer at Penn State Mont Alto before accepting a teaching position in University Park that he kept until his 1972 retirement, according to a biography published by the Pennsylvania Center for the Book.
His successor, Joe Humphreys, also a retired Penn State faculty member, characterized Harvey as "a good man."
"He really enjoyed helping people," Humphreys said. "He taught approximately 35,000 people how to fly fish. In Pennsylvania alone, he taught 72 classes in 68 cities."
Although he was never employed as a full-time professor because he did not have a degree in physical education, Harvey taught for many years and retired as the Head of Required Physical Education at Penn State.
"To teach that many kids and to put that much time into it, he had to love it," Humphreys said.
Harvey was a nationally recognized fly fisher, winning numerous awards including the Buz Buszek Memorial National Fly Tying Award in 1978 and the Federation of Flyfisher's National Award for Contributions to Fly Tying. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Hall of Fame.
Harvey retired in 1972 and continued to fly fish. He also wrote several books about the topic and co-authored a biography of his life, entitled George Harvey: Memories, Patterns and Tactics, which was released in 1998, according to the biography.
Former President Jimmy Carter visited Harvey annually for a fishing trip to nearby Spruce Creek, according to the biography. Harvey continued to lead an active life, which included fly-fishing, well into his 90s, Humphreys said. "He was 90 years old when he and I teamed up and did a show in Denver," Humphreys said, adding Harvey fished regularly until he was 94. Memorial donations may be made to the Joe Humphreys' Student Angling Fund. Interested parties can make checks payable to The Pennsylvania State University and indicate on the check the ACHAG Fund. Donations can also be sent to Mark Belden, Pennsylvania State University, Room 2 Intramural Building, University Park, Pa., 16802.
