Item P01
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: Mav 18, 2005
Division:
BOCC 1
Bulk Item: Yes X No
Department: BOCC 1
Staff Contact Person: Jana Johnson-Willi
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners, Monroe County,
Florida in recognition of the passing of the Honorable Wilhelmia G.Harvey, Mayor Emeritus, Monroe
County Florida.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOTAL COST:
N/A
BUDGETED: Yes
No
COST TO COUNTY:
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No
AMOUNT PER MONTH Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty _ OMBIPurchasing _ Risk Management _
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
(j)i;fle JIl. &uduu-
Dixie M. Spehar, Mayor
DOCUMENTATION:
Included
Not Required_
DISPOSITION:
AGENDA ITEM #
Revised 2/05
J:lllHlr Dhic M. 5ucbOlr
RrsoJution ~o.
-2005
A H:lt:SOLl;TIO~ OF THE BOARD OF COr"TY
COM \11SSJO~ERS OF 'IO:\ROt.~ COU'TY 1:--'
RE.COG"HIO" OF THE LATE ,,"'ILIJ ELM l""iA GOEHHJ.~G HARVEY
WUfRE:\S, Wilhelmina G. Harvcy. \1ayor Lmcriws and grandc dame of \.1onroc
Count\', sometime.. st'l:lized itS the queen Concll of the County', passed ,,\va\" on May 3. ::!fJ()5:
anJ
\"'HERE.-\S, \It/ilh~lminfl. G Hiirvey often accentuated the se.:;ond syllable of her
name. reminding peuplt- ur ht'r h\\.'ild Winie" days of growing up in Key West., which she
nc....er really 1 f 1 :nqul sh~d through all t h~ y~ars she served the citizens. as a member of thl:'
School Board and then as a County Cummi.ssiuner fi'om 1930 w ::::O~)O \\iilh UIl]Y a h...o-y~ar
hiatus. al\\'<IYs r'~!Ning for the people she loved s.o much~ and
WH EREA S, \\'iJ hel minil had (l. tenacity and ?Cst fi.:~r 11 fc \~ 11 i eh cnabled her 10
accompti s.h much nWl e thaIl Can be mention~d in a fev,.' page~~ (llld
WIU:Rr:\S~ every pcr~on whu kH~""" Wilhelmina ......ill ahvay~ trca~l.lre their mcm(lrj(:~
of "\\'i~lic" and
\\ HEKL\S, dw communit). mOLJrn~ Mer loss: now tneret"(}re
BE IT R":SOL".t:n TIL\T TilE BOARD OF C01f~TY (:O,\'l'USSJO~}(KS 0.'
'\10"ROE COI!Vf\'. I<'LORIl>A:
\\.:~~I...:I.n~'!:1 F.~~... .:~
Sect ion 1: llcreby adopts j his Resolulion ,=L~ an expression to the talTIlI y ot fhelr
deepesT sympathy in the pa<:;siflg: oflhe lat~ Wilhdmin3 G llar\'cy
St~ction 2: Herebv r~cognjzes and honQrs \'''/ll hd mina for her LlnCai ling JevoLiun In
her cl)mmunity and h~r gr~<it slIcnglh of charaocr as exemplified h\' the t(1lluwing:
Wilhelllliua, burn lO a railroad engincer ilnd his \\'ife on Fehruary 7, 19! 2, in Key
W cst \~ Or ked in her S.lCp- tather Andrew P"i'lge' s D\!\!al Stred JrLJg~tor~ ,H agt' l6. recci \.cd il
teaching dcgfCI.: from Florida State Vi," omen. s (' 0 lleg.e in T al bha~s.ee at a time Vo'h<'l] veT") fi.:.\
womcn rccci vc:d a co] I cgc educat~or\ b~~came one of the s.choo!' s fin;L i"oolbal t recruiters when
]t became th~ c.o.cducatlonal norida State l.ni~'crsity:. marTied C B H.arvey in I SH6 and livt:J
with hi In in t he late 19~H}" s, and early 10-H)' s in Oregon ami \V a~hingh lrL D. C , I etuIning to
Key V'I.' est in the ] ')40' s \.vnen she find her hLlsham..l "".'ere both employed bv l hl: J\ avy base,
\\:ilhelmina wa,;,; acLive iu hel IH.I~baILd' ~ 1949 campaign Cor the Key West City
Commi s~jon. erHl':!1ained and met wilh pr~':srdell1s and other government offi cfill s as "f;j rq
Lady'. 0 C Key \\; cst d l~ri ng C B. . 5 term as III ilyor of Key \,.' CSL Clnd c\ cntuall v br:Cil me
acti\"C~y im.oh..ed as il politicai tl~ure in her ov...n right. .setting elected to the Schoo! l.k1ard.
and. in 19l:W. bejng ~lcctcd to the County Commjs~~on, a post she held LHlti1 2000, C\ccpt tor
108(.- ] 'JH7 when sh.e r~n tor State reprcsentat i ...-e. ilnd became the frrs! fema Ic mayor of the
Cuunt\'. being re-elected by her fellow rommi ssioncrs numerous ti l1lCS duri ng. her long service
on that guverning boarJ~
\Vil helmina \-vas wd] knov,'n hl the lucal~ as a commissioner \\o'r1O \\ould tLght for the
rigfns oC and bencfib to. the general puhl ic, always insi,~tjng 011 ~uch thi ng!:i ,l~ pre1:ier,...ing
(i(:cess to W(ltcr for r~~jdCl1ts. \\ ithoLlt \.\ illcrfron( propen], and championing lhe U:lU~t'<; or the
""Llnderdog," ,\...hik many still rcm~~mbcr thc Coumy Cornmi:-isioJl meeting <1L ',,,..hicl1 she
convinced a l'dlow commi ~~ion~r through her publ ic discussion tlH:Il she would be voting a
c~I1airJ way which caused him to enter a \ ote he asked lO chang\:'" aile! wily WiJlie voted lhe
OppOSLt~. of hl:I t"ellol,>, co rnmj s.sioner' s expectaliorls:
One of WiihelmiJla' s rmm trea~ured memories \Vas her meet i ng vv.jrh Queen E lizabctt1
in the DIY Tonllgas in the] 9flU's, v,.hen she presented l'ngl3l1d's rutcr ~~ itfl a Conch ~hdl. bUl
ah...ay's regn:rtcd her omi ss~on In not lelling. Lht: Queen that lhe shell must remain outside il s
\\.'i ndsor PilJace s,u ffc:.cd a devastating: lire nul lung after the presentation. and s.ent the Queen
an apology t'm 110t \~ am i ng her of dw local superstition that the ~hdl ShOLl~J be placed outside
the dool ,
\l,....il helm i na \\<is e'\.tT~mely acti\"e in all a~rccts. of community ani vilies, :;mh a,> bei rig
crowned in :WO I as Quecn or hnLas.)' Fest a~ u result of her campaigning for dOII<uiUllS fur
:\l DS Hel p, and s.cr~.LJlg a~ /\Jmiral in th.e nav(l.1 Hattie for tbe C oneh Repub lie in 1 98~, which
posi t iOIl ,>he comi Ilued In cnsu mg ,\ eal ~' re-enactmt'nt'i,
.\0 exhibit oC \\,'i!lie memorabllia, acquired duri[]~ the many }.ear:'i ..he suppon:.cd non.
profit ocganizalions like Habitilt for I {umanity and promoted the arts.. can be secn at t11e
Cu:-;toms HUllse on From SIred.
\1.":. :": "I ITIII",;I ! ~~I:--. ......
Section 3: Hereby directs. the Clerk lD i()rward La the 1'allllly of \\illl1cJ Ell ~Ila G
J far \l"Y a copy 0 C this Resullllion l~.\.prc5s;ng the Board's ')orrow
PASSFD AND ADOPTr:D b\ the I1n;lfd or CflLU\ly C(HtLmJS~L0J1er~ of 1\.1muoc C0unt'l..,
Flonaa .1: a tn<?ctlng of smd f::lm.rd lk'l d on tk ] ~ah d,i: uf ~by, An" :)OH."
Mayor ill\.I,-' .\-1. Sp\.'har
Ma\'Dr Pro Tern Charles "Sonnv" McC'o\
, "
C"'lIirni~::.ilHlI,:[ (ic(,rg..; -":(:Llgcnt
(ommissiolll.:r DaviJ P Ri,'c
C'omm ISSll%:r \.lUTTJ.\' F \dson
(SP..\U
Att~"t DA'~Y L KOU IAGr:. Ckrl
I:)OARU OF CO L :';'I'Y CO.\1 \']JSSION I:JZS
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