Hello everyone:
I just returned from a wonderful trip to Florida where I visited many friends and family.
Among those were some of our classmates. While in Ormond Beach, I stayed with Patsy (Reese) Ellis and her husband, Phil (class of '60). Even though they were on the brink of having a new grandson, and having to take off on a moment's notice for the western side of FL, they were VERY gracious hosts. We had a GREAT visit, and I thank them so much for their hospitality. I also had lunch with Chris Adkins Murray. She looks great and is a godsend to Joyce. Both she and Patsy do all they can for her. She even paid for lunch and we stayed MUCH longer than it took to eat it! It is so wonderful to visit with old friends. On Monday night, I went to Jacksonville and visited Joyce at the Mayo Clinic.
She was there for a battery of tests and to get her medication adjusted. Joyce had a very difficult time while she was hospitalized. Her lung collapsed and they had great difficulty getting the diagnostic testing catheters inserted. I know that some of you would like to let Joyce know that we are thinking about her and keeping her in our prayers. She went home on Wednesday, but ended up with a cold. For someone with Pulmonary Hypertension, a cold is very difficult. It interferes further with their ability to breathe. If you want to let Joyce know that you are concerned, you may email her at: joyceinob@aol.com. She cannot do much, but she can get email. For "snail mail", her address is: 
20 Pine Trail Ormond Beach, FL 32174
Hope this finds you all well in 2009. I know that our country is in turmoil, but my prayers are with our new President. No matter what your political leanings, we are all Americans, and our country needs our support. May God Bless America.
Fondly, 
Linda (Meadows) Hodges

 It will be my task to try and fill his shoes at this web site. I know he will be watching. Thanks Harvey for all you have done to bring our class together..  I am posting the service of Harvey's memorial, provided by Linda Meadows. We have lost another classmate. 

You will be missed. 

 Your friend , Jim Kyer

This is from Joyce Hill, on 04/25/05-----She asked me to share it.

I never knew Harvey till our last reunion ( THE ONE HE INSPIRED ) Harvey has helped me: He answered every E mail and has helped me to accept and understand my own personal illness. He told me to keep on Truckin and take one day at a time. I have Harvey to thank for my good attitude to my health problems. And at his request I am reading "The Purpose Driven Life". And have a list of people who wish to read my book when I am done. Love Joyce Manus Hill

Interment at 9:30 a.m. Attendees other than family included, Becky (Phillips) and Bill Payne, Bonnie (Thomas) and Hugh Browning, Linda (Meadows) and Dick Hodges, Anne (Minton) Dragovich

MEMORIAL service---10:30 a.m.---Huntington

HHSer's and spouses (not necessarily '62) Attendees:

Steph McGann Gardner Shiela Kearns Kincaid Judy Runyon Smith

Kay Thornburg Freda Thomas Fannin Judy Spiers Swann

Susan McCaw Brown Bob Wysong Margaret Mullins Mulvaney

John and Carolyn Fleming Hegnauer Sue Cooke Buford

Brooks Drake David Harris Lavonda Nowland Singer

Delores Byrd Doersam Paige Lawrence Cruz Susie Roberson VIckory

Mary Woodward Workman Charlie and Kathleen Yarbrough

Damon and Regina Cooke Bill and Becky Phillips Payne Jim Kyer

Anne Minton Dragovich Mrs. Gibson (Marie Gibson's Mother)

Hugh and Bonnie Thomas Browning Donnie and Carol Manus McGhee

Pat Zimmerman Edmunds Russ and David Cook Sally Tweel (Larry's Mother)

Garland Robinson Elaine Wilcox (Bill's Mother) Margaret Adkins Cremeans

Larry and Cheryl Tweel  Dick and Linda Meadows Hodges

Jimmie Tweel (?) Butch Bridgewater (HEHS) Becky Bastinelli Ray,

Dan and Connie Bobbit Craig Westfall

If I have forgetten anyone, PLEASE let me know and I will include you. I tried to remember everyone...looked at the "guest book" but I may have overlooked someone. It was UN intentional, if I did. I apologize ahead of time. Linda Meadows

Thanks to our anonymous flower donators. The wreath was lovely and Chris really appreciated it. She would like to send you a personal note. Please let Anne know if it is OK to tell Chris.

(Carter Taylor Seaton’s Eulogy for her little brother)

Taking photographs at family gatherings and special occasions is a tradition in most families, I’ll bet. It is certainly a time-honored one in the Taylor clan. In fact, it’s often been said that "if there isn’t a photograph, it didn’t happen." So, my den shelves are crammed with photo albums dating back to the early 1900s. Looking through them has proven to be a source of nostalgia, and often, great amusement for my children and grandchildren.

Over the past year, I’ve often looked through them myself searching for just the right "gem" to post on Harvey’s Internet Web-log to amuse or encourage him. As I looked at the many photos of him both as a toddler and as a young boy, I realized that, in hindsight, it was easy to recognize in that youthful face, the features of the handsome man he would become. But at the moment the shutter closed, the camera recorded only the present. The photographer could not see what we can now. Predicting how a person’s character will develop, what the man in the little boy will become, is equally difficult. But, imagine for a moment that with that single shutter click, you could see into the future, could tell what that image would portend.

For instance, from the photo of Harvey, Dan Bobbitt and me in a #2 washtub in our backyard at ages 2 and 5 respectively, you would know that Harvey would become an avid swimmer, a member of the GA Tech intramural swim team and that he’d take up scuba-diving as a hobby and convince both of us to join him.

From the picture of the 6 or 7 year old Harvey in front of the store he carefully built one summer between the elm and sycamore trees in our front yard, you could predict his. Harvey didn’t just have an ordinary lemonade stand, Harvey had a STORE in capital letters! He sold used comic books, games he’d long since mastered, cars and trucks he’d discarded and nicknacks gleaned from the trunks our father bought at estate sales. But by far, his best seller was COKE. Mother was dispatched each week to the Coca-Cola bottling plant to buy a case of 6 oz bottles (at wholesale of course), which –– with a keen eye for the profit margin, he sold for twice the price. I should have known he’d have a stellar future with that company.

And if I’d followed Harvey with a movie camera on Saturday mornings, when he was 9 or 10, I’d have been able to predict the thoroughness with which he tackled all "projects" throughout his adult life. Although there isn’t a photograph, I have a mental image of how Harvey parlayed the profit from his store into an extensive coin collection. Mind you, he could have bought coins from the local coin shop, but Harvey would rather do it, in what he considered to be the right way, in other words, to do it himself. Each Saturday, he rode the bus downtown with a $10 bill and a pocket full of loose coins. Upon arriving at First Huntington National Bank, he would go to the first teller and ask for $10 worth of pennies. He’d take the twenty rolls to the long marble counter in the center of the bank, where he methodically inspected each penny for dates he lacked. When he found one, he’d replace it from his pocket, re-roll those coins and continue. After he had carefully inspected each roll, he’d go to the next teller and repeat the process. Each week he did this, over and over again, until he had a full collector’s set of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, which he later used as collateral for his college loans...from Daddy.

And, I wish a camera had been handy on the day he was so intent in his pursuit of a prize butterfly, that he stepped in a hole in the ground and sprained his ankle. That photo would have captured the determination with which he pursued every goal he ever set for himself.

In the photograph of Harvey at the Fat Boy Drive-in gleefully playing his guitar for the crowd atop a friend’s Nash Rambler convertible, you glimpse the bond of friendship in the man who, 40 years later, brought together some 350 Huntington High School classmates through the power of the internet and spearheaded what has been called "the Mother of all Reunions."

But knowing in advance how a person will turn out would ultimately prove too boring. For it’s the surprises in our lives that often define us best, AND provide the serendipity of our memories. This was certainly true for Harvey.

For, instance, who could have predicted that the gullible little boy who once asked our Uncle John why he was hosing off his flagstone walkway and was satisfied with the answer, "I’m watering it so it will grow into a sidewalk," would mature into an analytical and insightful adult famous for the phrase "you mean to tell me...?" Those of you who have heard this remark, fill in your own blanks.

And, how could I have seen that the little brother who was so leery of unfamiliar food that he once asked me at our grandmother’s house, "do we like peas?" would travel with his family to far flung continents and savor the cuisine, and wines, of Africa, Australia, Italy, France, Japan and the Caribbean.

Or, how could I guess that the little brother who often materialized beside me at family gatherings asking, "how are we related to them?" would become an expert on Taylor genealogy.

And finally, who could have predicted that the little brother who wrote notes on the church bulletin, when we both should have been listening to the sermon, would one day share his spiritual awakening and reaffirmation of faith in Jesus Christ with the entire world on the Internet.

And yet, of all the things Harvey achieved, accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior is the one thing we should have been able to predict. Our Aunt Nancy did, saying she wasn’t surprised at all...the Lord had been watching over him all these years. After all, he’d joined the church as a young boy and had his picture in the local paper (along with the others in his class), when he was given a Bible for learning his catechism.

Finally, as I paged through those albums, I noticed something else...somewhere along the line, my little brother outgrew me. Somehow, he ceased to be the funny little brother I pestered and grew into the big brother whom I loved and admired and of whom I cherish many, treasured memories.

(Dan Bobbit’s Eulogy for his best friend)

If you would, imagine two young boys laughing and talking as they walked up the street, over the hill, and into a brickyard. Be it spring, summer, or fall in the early 1950s that was Harvey and I on our way to have an adventure.

We lived next door to each other on Glenway Lane from birth to marriage. Our adventures in the early childhood years, before television changed America, were rather reminiscent of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. Afternoons were spent playing games with the neighborhood kids, like…. kick the can, shooting BB guns, and generally exploring the nearby area. The old brickyard, which was located next to Cabell Huntington Hospital, was one of our favorite destinations. It is here that we would dig elaborate tunnels and fox holes ready to take on enemies as we fought and won both World War II and the Korean War many times. Even at this age Harvey proved his determination and attention to details.

On my last visit with Harvey, I was honored when he asked me to speak at this service today, however I did have to PROMISE HIM THAT I WOULD USE GREAT DISCRESSION IN MY REMARKS!! You see we grew up together as close as brothers, missing only the genetic connection. There are MANY stories I could tell!!

When we were about 12 – 13 years old we built a fort with several friends near 4-Pole creek at Washington Blvd and 16th Street - (Hal Greer Blvd). It was our escape and a place to try boyish things, such as smoking. Big Harvey and Dorothy got wind of our activities and dropped in for an unexpected visit – THAT WAS A QUICK END TO THE FORT! Around that same time we began catching butterflies and moths during the summer. Harvey amassed quite a large collection – examples of which are beautifully displayed in their house in Florida. His curious nature, adventuresome attitude and attention to details was something I always admired.

In 1957 we attended the Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, PA. What a wonderful adventure that was…..visiting Washington, DC and New York along the way. Harvey was quite the negotiator even then and ended up with many "patches" traded with other scouts. This was also Harvey’s first brush with a Republican – he shook hands with the Vice-President – Richard Nixon. We may never know if this was the foundation of his Republican beliefs, a trait that Aunt Nancy and Aunt Eleanor never approved.

When we entered the teenage years and had wheels, the serious pursuit of young ladies began. Many summer Wednesday nights were spent dancing at Riverside, hanging out at the Big Boy, and just cruising around Huntington. Our code name for each other, ACE, was developed around this time and stuck: symbolizing the unified bond of our open and honest friendship, which served us both well as we moved through life. Harvey has a long list of true friends, a testament to his values, beliefs, and actions.

One memorable weekend was spent at the High School Basketball Tournament at the field house here in Huntington – mind you the attraction was not the basketball, but the girls in town for the event. Harvey always had his priorities straight!!!. Fate intervened and Harvey met a beautiful young lady from Parkersburg, Chris Fonte. Thus began many weekend "road trips" –USUALLY WITHOUT PARENTAL KNOWLEDGE OR APPROVAL! This eventually developed into a wonderful marriage and a family of which he was immensely proud.

As different as our career paths were – we did have one occasion in which we collaborated. Coke’s new plastic 2 liter bottle had been on the market for a short time. During a phone conversation with Harvey I mentioned that there might be a potential legal problem because I had operated on two eye injuries that resulted from exploding caps while the bottle was being opened. Harvey immediately took this as a new mission. He and his crew of engineers went to work on the problem and quickly came up with a solution – a vertical slash through the spirals on the bottle’s neck, which released the built up gas…this solution was shared throughout the industry. Not only is this a great example of Harvey’s excellent engineering & leadership skills, but more importantly his unselfishness & concern for others. So, when you hear the hiss of gas released when opening soft drink bottles – thank Harvey!!

Although geographically never together, we have been fortunate to maintain a close friendship. As adults our adventures have continued through travels and a mutual love of scuba diving with our favorite destination being Grand Cayman Island. We sailed in the British Virgin Islands, where we explored reefs; ship wrecks, and saw the Green Flash as we returned from a night dive. In Costa Rica we witnessed the Hale-Bopp comet every night and were constantly amused over Harvey’s battle with the resident golden retriever Moses over who was allowed in the pool and who wasn’t. Being Harvey he never gave up hope, but that was one battle he lost. Moses was just too hot and went into the pool disregarding Harvey’s booming voice.

Harvey had a zest for life – he enjoyed soaking up all the moments that make up each of our days & nights. He gave strength to those that were around him. I will miss his companionship, but will savor the many memories of our times together. As you can see today Harvey left a living legacy, he was a true brother.

Ace, I love you!

In addition to these wonderful eulogies, Harvey's Aunt on his Father's side said a few words....off the cuff, and absolutely precious. Harvey had instructed her to talk only 5 minutes, but just like most elderly people, she did what she pleased, and it was great!

There was wonderful "special" music played on the guitar, and beautiful hymns sung. Dr. Asa Meadows, a retired pastor from Jacksonville, FL (a very distant relative of mine) was in charge of the "message" of the day, which was basically that Harvey wants us to be with him in heaven....eventually, and that we must all get to the point in our lives where we are right with God, and our place is assured. Harvey wants for us the peace that he was able to feel prior to his passing.

 We, as a group, have made donations of more than $700. Don't know how many individuals gifts were given. Thanks to all for your generosity. 

Love Linda Meadows

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