Sarles, Harvey born July 12, 1933 in Buffalo, New York. Married to Janis née Hardy (d). Harvey is survived by his daughter Amy (married to Dave) and son Stefan (married to Clair), grandchildren Jessica, Andrew (Taylor), Amelia, Philip and Noah, and great grandson Wrigley. Harvey was born in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Bennett High School. He then went to Cornell, initially studying medicine. He found his way back to Buffalo at SUNY, unsure what to study. What he was sure about was Janis Hardy, his soon to be life partner who he met at this time in philosophy class. Janis worked on campus and through her work Harvey was introduced to key linguistic experts and his future PhD mentor, Ray Birdwhistell. In addition to linguistics, he found anthropology, compelled by the study of humanity and its condition and philosophy, as well as language and movement. He obtained his BA and MA from SUNY Buffalo. Being now married to Janis, Harvey earned his keep working as a mathematician and computer programmer for Cornell Aeronautical Labs, then moved on to work on IBMs first large computers in the mid-1950s. He then moved to study with Ray Birdwhistell, at the University of Chicago, obtaining his PhD - based on a study of of a Mayan language in Chiapas in Southern Mexico, where he spent two years with his young family. His next move was to Pittsburgh for a couple of years, then Harvey finally found his home in Minneapolis. He was a longstanding professor at the University of Minnesota, initially in the Department of Anthropology and later in the Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature (as he felt Anthropology had become the study of the history of humanity, not its wider meaning). He truly enjoyed teaching his students, mentoring many of them in their PhD studies. For many years he taught incoming Rhodes Scholars in his Introduction to America course, a short version of his favorite course. He won a teaching award voted for by undergraduates for this course. He published many books, ranging from a favorite topic - the meaning of meaning, to a study of Nietzsche's prophecy, Harvey's teaching philosophy/pedagogy. Finally, there is also a not quite finished 3 book synthesis and retelling of much of Harvey's philosophy, The Body Journals. He spent significant time and effort on educational reform at all levels, studying and building on the work of John Dewey and was cofounder of the John Dewey Center for Democracy and Education. Over his life, once he found his metier, Harvey had a huge focus on humans and the human condition, including the body, and spent significant time pursuing his humanist philosophy. As part of his core focus on the human condition, he wrote a more mainstream book, Next Places, a series of aphorisms on change, focused on helping all of us face change in our lives. Harvey also had a great love for classical music, in particular the works of Bach and was an accomplished violinist. His life was devoted to the human condition, its history, future and philosophy. He did not have any boundaries but embraced his time on this earth. He was a loving gentle soft spoken man, devoted to his wife Janis. We are not planning on holding a ceremony. To thank the team of caregivers at The Pillars of Prospect Park where Harvey was loved and cared for, we ask for donations in lieu of flowers to be made in his memory to their employee appreciation fund.

Published on July 30, 2023