| Graduation Year | Faculty |
| Date of Passing | Jan 27, 2009 |
| About | Incline mourns loss of high school music teacher Alan Harvey INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. The Incline High School community was shocked and saddened Tuesday by the news that Alan Harvey, the school's new music teacher, had died that morning. Harvey, 65, was found dead shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday in his car by a security guard in the parking lot of the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center in Carson City. According to Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong, hospital security cameras recorded Harvey driving into the parking lot at 10:30 p.m. Monday night. He just parked his car and never got out of it, said Furlong. Deputy Dean Williams said the vehicle was parked neatly in the space and Harvey appeared to be asleep. A cause of death should be determined sometime Wednesday, said an official with the Carson City Coroner's Office. Harvey was hired to head up the music program at IHS in August of 2008. John Clark, principal of IHS, said he became concerned about Harvey when the teacher didn't show up early for his 6:55 a.m. class, which he generally shows up for at about 6:25 a.m. Mr. Harvey was such a punctual person, it was very unlike him to be late. So unlike him, in fact, that I thought I forgot something, Clark said. By mid-day we found out what happened and were just so devastated. Valerie Jackson, an administrative assistant at the high school, said a call came in from Carson City at about 9:30 a.m. that Harvey died. Clark announced the death at the end of the school's half day over the intercom to students and faculty. A number of people who spoke with Harvey even on Monday said he didn't mention anything negative about his own health. Kari Michael, a special education department leader, worked closely with Harvey as a piano accompanist for the school's band and as a co-chair of the school's accreditation push said Harvey was a good listener and very attentive to her when the two last spoke Monday. (Monday) we met and he seemed great, Michael said. I vented a little bit to him about some things going on here and he said that whenever I needed to talk I could call him right down and he'd listen. He was such a good listener, you could tell he was being attentive to what you were saying. Duncan Graham, the dean of fine arts at Foothills College in Los Altos Hills, Calif., where Harvey previously served as a vice president and dean, said he spoke with Harvey just days ago and nothing appeared out of the ordinary as the two were planning an event in Reno. Harveys loss sent shockwaves through the IHS community, especially with his band students. It's horrible, said Justin Holets, a senior band member at IHS. Harvey was a great guy, his teaching was second to none and the quality of the band doubled in the short time he was here. I felt we grew closer to him than we did to any other band teacher. Holets said Harvey endeared himself as a hard worker who had great expectations for his students and rewarded those who met those expectations. We all knew he knew what he was doing, especially the first day when he got straight to playing music, no talking, nothing, Holets said. Jordan Smith, a sophomore band member at IHS said he was shocked when he heard the news and said Harvey built the admiration students had for him on respect. He was a really nice guy and had a mutual respect for every one of the people in the band, Smith said. Kathy Eastman, a member of the Incline CYMBAL foundation which supports the arts at IHS, said his impact on the students was strong. (His students) are very affected by this, Eastman said. In only a very short time he has come to be admired by these kids and this community. He will be irreplaceable for us. Dolores Holets, also with CYMBAL, commented on just how far Harvey had taken the band program, illustrated by their stirring holiday concert performance. Clark said the performance was so good he asked Harvey to perform it during the school day for IHS students. The students really enjoyed it, Clark said. Anytime you get 400 kids to sit down, you're not sure if they will be attentive to classical holiday songs when they've grown up listening to rock and whatever else, but they seemed to really like it. A native of the Bay Area, Harvey left his mark both personally and professionally at a number of institutions where he taught, performed and served as an administrator. At the Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., the school's theater is named for him, the Alan L. Harvey Theater. Cathy DeVos, a teacher in the school's music program, said she remembers a Harvey that was high-energy and caring. I thought he was extremely generous, optimistic and fun loving, DeVos said.He would put on these operettas and do everything, from the costumes to the sets to the music and the choir, it was an amazing feat. Harvey taught at the school for 21 years before accepting a job at Foothills College in the early 1990s. There he was dean of the fine arts program before taking over as the school's vice president, a position he eventually retired from in 2005. Graham, who got his Master's degree at the age of 40 at the behest of Harvey said he remembers a very supportive person. He had such a wonderful way of approaching everyone, including the administration, even when they were making budget cuts, Graham said. He always approaching things with a sense of compassion and needed to know what he could do for the students. It was that past, which included a number of other stops as well as time spent playing viola with the Carson City Symphony Orchestra, that attracted Clark to hiring Harvey, who he said, just couldn't stay retired. His credentials and his vast knowledge of music were certainly attractive qualities, Clark said. He had a certain quality of caring and kindness that came through when you spoke to him. Jackson echoed what Clark said and said the teacher will be missed at IHS. He was such a kind and generous person who was willing to help out anyone at any time, Jackson said. It's a terrible loss for the students, the faculty, the school in general. In the short time he was here he had a huge impact on the music program and was really turning it around. |
