Cyril Harvey was a tenth-generation Quaker whose forefather John Sharples came to Pennsylvania in 1682 with William Penn. His family’s Quaker heritage and commitment to education—both of his parents had long careers teaching in Quaker schools—was a profound touchstone for Cyril.
Cyril was a geologist, a teacher, and a lover of the natural world. In 1966 he came to Guilford College, a small Quaker college in Greensboro, NC, to initiate a geology department. He retired in 1999 after 33 years of teaching, as well as serving periods as Academic Dean and the Director of Institutional Research. He was named the Jefferson-Pilot Professor of Geology.
Many of Cyril’s geology students and non-science students will remember summer five-week Seminars West trips and the Quaker Quadrangle, an imaginary tract of land that teams of students explored to reconstruct its geologic history. It is noteworthy that a few Seminars West students went on to be Religious Studies majors—the natural world became a foundation for their exploration of religious thought and history.
In his Alumni Day address given at Westtown Friends School in May 1976, Cyril spoke of education saying, “For the past several years I have defined education for the incoming freshmen at Guilford College as the process by which one human being discovers from other human beings what it means to be human.” Cyril Harvey’s life reflected his abiding belief in this idea.
Cyril is survived by his wife of 72 years, Judith Weller Harvey of Greensboro, NC; son David Harvey of Greencastle, IN; daughter Cynthia Harvey (Mark Piscitelli) of Norfolk, MA; grandchildren Devon Harvey Soviero, Jonah Piscitelli, and Lyra Piscitelli; and great-granddaughter Eleanor Soviero.
Memorial gifts may be sent to Friendship Friends Meeting, PO Box 8652, Greensboro, NC 27419-0652 or to Friends Center, Guilford College, 5800 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27410.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
