In Memoriam:  Arlis A. Harvey

Bonner County Daily Bee            Saturday, June 18, 2011

Arlis A. Harvey died peacefully on June 15, 2011, at the home she and longtime friend, Marilyn George, built and shared for 40 years. She was 84 years old.

She was born in her maternal grandparents’ home on a farm in rural Brierton, Wis., on Sept. 10, 1926. She was the youngest of three children. Her brothers, Ron and Red Harvey, preceded her in death.

Throughout her life, Arlis was deeply connected to nature and animals in particular. She first realized this gift of relating to animals with “Bill,” a work horse on the family farm, at a very young age. These special relationships with animals continued throughout her life.

She graduated from high school in Appleton, Wis., in 1944 where she developed an awareness of the impact of outstanding teachers. This would lead her on a circuitous path to becoming an outstanding teacher herself.

Upon her high school math teacher’s recommendation for a highly sought after position at the Institute of Paper Chemistry; Arlis got her first job. There she calculated a breakthrough discovery, which led to the binomial theorem for testing basic weight, tearing strength and tensile strength for quality paper. This led to a promotion within the company to the statistics lab. While in this position, Arlis found her niche and realizing the need for a college degree.

She worked in the mathematics department at the University of Wisconsin, doing high level calculations and data processing for her major professor.

In order to continue her work with the professor, she enrolled at the University of Southern California. Arlis returned to the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a job in the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation testing medicines for Miles Laboratories.

After years of working, she returned to being a student at the University of Wisconsin; earning her bachelor of science degree in mathematics and a Wisconsin teaching certificate in 1962.

After 12 years of teaching high school math in Evansville, Wis., Arlis retired. Unbeknownst to her, throughout her teaching career, she used Dr. Glasser’s choice theory approach. It was years before this technique was recognized and implemented.

In addition to her teaching duties, Arlis counseled students on their actions and consequences of said actions. This foreshadowed her long-standing contributions to the Bonner County Youth Accountability Board after moving to Sandpoint in 1974.

Arlis also was an 11-year volunteer at the Native Plant Arboretum.

Arlis Harvey

We would like to take time to salute another original arboretum volunteer: Arlis Harvey.  Her hard work and dedication have, literally, put the “arbor” in the arboretum.  Arlis built by hand the wonderful arbor structure which graces the area she gardens.  Arlis also has built the alder benches found in several places around our arboretum grounds.  And by building other benches for individuals, in return for their donations, Arlis has contributed significantly to the arboretum funding.  Recently Arlis has shared her skill with others by offering workshops on bench building.

Teaching comes naturally to Arlis, a former high school math instructor.  But her dedication to sculpting young minds extends beyond the classroom.  Arlis has managed the Bonner County Youth Accountability program, setting youngsters back onto a path where they can redeem and improve themselves.  Compared to bending the direction of a troubled youth, bending Alder for benches would seem easy. 

Arlis embodies our own mission of education and outreach, of creating and nurturing a habitat where our native species can grow strong.  With her lifetime devotion to teaching, sharing, guiding and sculpting lives as well as her skill in crafting wonderful works of art from wood, Arlis sets a high standard for the rest of us to follow.  By bringing skill and passion to her work Arlis inspires us all to become our best.