Frederic Harvey

1928 - 2021

Frederic Lyle Harvey
October 14, 1928 - December 22, 2021
Frederic L. Harvey was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Sunset District during the depression and World War II. His father survived San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and worked as a comedic vaudeville actor, car salesman, World War II shipyard worker and craftsman. His mother performed in travelling vaudeville shows alongside her future husband before both retired from the theatre in 1927 to raise their family.
As a child, Fred was an avid reader with a keen interest in politics and history. His interest was sparked by the 1939 Pageant of the Pacific at Treasure Island where he spent the summer playing among the exhibits. During World War II, he attended the newly-built Lincoln High School and was honored as a commencement speaker. While Fred did not experience first hand the horrors of World War II, his interest in politics and avoiding future conflicts deepened throughout his high school years. He became involved with Junior Statesman of America, where he worked directly with its founder, Professor E.A. Rogers, and served as head counselor at the Montezuma Summer School for Boys in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Fred graduated from U.C. Berkeley, phi beta kappa, in 1950, and from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1953. After serving in the Army in Japan, he settled in Berkeley and practiced law with Berkley, Randall and Harvey, the first racially integrated law firm in the Bay Area. In 1973, Fred opened his own law practice which focused on property, probate and small business litigation. Fred believed that ordinary, middle-class families and small businesses deserved excellent and affordable legal services and provided those services to multiple generations of clients.
Fred and his wife, Marietta, engaged actively in local politics and civic affairs for more than 50 years. They were co-presidents of the Emerson School PTA when "the busses rolled" in 1968 and helped ease the transition to integrated schools. They served together on the Willard Park Citizens Committee that designed Willard Park and were founding members of the Willard Neighborhood Association. Fred joined the Berkeley Democratic Club in 1964, worked tirelessly for local and national candidates, and served on the Club's board of directors as recently as 2019. He was a member of the City of Berkeley's Parks and Recreation Commission in the 1990's, served as president of the Elmwood Merchants Association, played an instrumental role in preserving Berkeley's Elmwood Theatre and was a board member for the Berkeley Presbyterian Mission Homes. His most effective work was often behind the scenes as he was skilled at moving projects forward and helping groups reach consensus.
As an active and committed member of St. John's Presbyterian Church in Berkeley, Fred lived out his passion for developing leadership and strong ethical values in children and youth. At the age of 65, Fred obtained the church's support to found Camp Elmwood, a secular day camp that focused on ethics, leadership skills and serving the local community. He presided over Camp Elmwood for more than 20 years and, through his popular Teen Leadership Camp, was a mentor and role model to many local teenagers.
Fred's beloved wife, Marietta, predeceased him in 2015. He is survived by his sister, Ann Rosing; his children, Ruth Harvey (Larry Pinkus), Daniel Harvey (Karen Harvey) and William Harvey (Josepha Fath); his grandchildren, Michelle Martin (Ricky Martin), Jay Harvey, Matthew Harvey, Alex Pinkus, Elizabeth Bear (Benjamin Bear), Andrei Pinkus and Camern Pinkus; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at St. John's Presbyterian Church at a future date. Donations in Fred's memory can be made to St. John's Presbyterian Church (https://www.stjohnsberkeley.org/), The Angelman Syndrome Foundation (https://www.angelman.org/), the Oakland Symphony (https://www.oaklandsymphony.org/) or a charity of your choice.