Harvey M. Kelsey Jr. ’45
Harvey Kelsey died July 30, 2014, at his home in Rye, N.Y.
Harvey prepared for Princeton at Andover, where he distinguished himself as a runner. In 11th grade, he ran 100 yards in 9.5 seconds at a time when the world record was 9.4. His Andover record times at 100 and 220 yards still stand today.
At Princeton, Harvey joined Ivy and continued his track and field career as captain of freshman and varsity track. His Princeton studies were interrupted for basic training at Fort Bragg, officer candidate school at Fort Sill, and then service in the 1st Infantry Division. He was occasionally able to run, winning competitions in the Penn Relay Sprints, the IC4A, and at the mini-Olympics in Bordeaux, France, where he also coached the U.S. Third Army track team.
Returning to Princeton, he received a degree in politics in 1947. He earned a master’s degree in business from Harvard in 1949.
He married Anne Talcott in 1947. President of Talcott Inc. for 25 years and CFO of Johnson and Higgins for eight years, Harvey served on the boards of the Miriam Osborne Home, the Association for Protection of the Adirondacks, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, and Burke Medical Research Institute. He loved all outdoor activities and instilled that love in Anne and his children.
Predeceased by Anne and by one grandson, Harvey is survived by his children, Harvey ’71, Jim ’73, Peter ’75, Karen, and Peg; 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The class expresses its sympathy to the family.
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