Resolution 158-2005
Mavor Dixie M. Soehar
Resolution No. 158-2005
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY IN
RECOGNITION OF THE LATE WILHELMINA GOEHRING HARVEY
WHEREAS, Wilhelmina G. Harvey, Mayor Emeritus and grande dame of Monroe
County, sometimes stylized as the queen Conch of the County, passed away on May 3,2005;
and
WHEREAS, Wilhelmina G. Harvey often accentuated the second syllable of her
name, reminding people of her "Wild Willie" days of growing up in Key West, which she
never really relinquished through all the years she served the citizens as a member of the
School Board and then as a County Commissioner from 1980 to 2000 with only a two-year
hiatus, always fighting for the people she loved so much; and
WHEREAS, Wilhelmina had a tenacity and zest for life which enabled her to
accomplish much more than can be mentioned in a few pages; and
WHEREAS, every person who knew Wilhelmina will always treasure their memories
of "Willie;" and
WHEREAS, the community mourns her loss; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA:
Wilhelmina Harvey
Section 1: Hereby adopts this Resolution as an expression to the family of their
deepest sympathy in the passing of the late Wilhelmina G. Harvey.
Section 2: Hereby recognizes and honors Wilhelmina for her unfailing devotion to
her community and her great strength of character as exemplified by the following:
Wilhelmina, born to a railroad engineer and his wife on February 7, 1912, in Key
West, worked in her step-father Andrew Page's Duval Street drugstore at age 16, received a
teaching degree from Florida State Women's College in Tallahassee at a time when very few
women received a college education, became one of the school's first football recruiters when
it became the co-educational Florida State University, married C.B. Harvey in 1936 and lived
with him in the late 1930's and early 1940's in Oregon and Washington, D.C., returning to
Key West in the 1940's when she and her husband were both employed by the Navy base;
Wilhelmina was active in her husband's 1949 campaign for the Key West City
Commission, entertained and met with presidents and other government officials as "First
Lady" of Key West during C.B.'s term as mayor of Key West, and eventually became
actively involved as a political figure in her own right, getting elected to the School Board,
and, in 1980, being elected to the County Commission, a post she held until 2000, except for
1986-1987 when she ran for State representative, and became the first female mayor of the
County, being re-elected by her fellow commissioners numerous times during her long service
on that governing board;
Wilhelmina was well known to the locals as a commissioner who would fight for the
rights of, and benefits to, the general public, always insisting on such things as preserving
access to water for residents without waterfront property, and championing the causes of the
"underdog," while many still remember the County Commission meeting at which she
convinced a fellow commissioner through her public discussion that she would be voting a
certain way which caused him to enter a vote he asked to change after wily Willie voted the
opposite of her fellow commissioner's expectations;
One of Wilhelmina's most treasured memories was her meeting with Queen Elizabeth
in the Dry Tortugas in the 1990's, when she presented England's ruler with a Conch shell, but
always regretted her omission in not telling the Queen that the shell must remain outside as
Windsor Palace suffered a devastating fire not long after the presentation, and sent the Queen
an apology for not warning her of the local superstition that the shell should be placed outside
the door;
Wilhelmina was extremely active in all aspects of community activities, such as being
crowned in 2001 as Queen of Fantasy Fest as a result of her campaigning for donations for
AIDS Help, and serving as Admiral in the naval Battle for the Conch Republic in 1982, which
position she continued in ensuing years' re-enactments;
An exhibit of Willie memorabilia, acquired during the many years she supported non-
profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity and promoted the arts, can be seen at the
Customs House on Front Street.
Wilhelmina Harvey
Section 3: Hereby directs the Clerk to forward to the family of Wilhelmina G.
Harvey a copy of this Resolution expressing the Board's sorrow.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida, at a meeting of said Board held on the 18th day of May, A.D., 2005.
Mayor Dixie M. Spehar Yes
Mayor Pro Tern Charles "Sonny" McCoy Yes
Commissioner George Neugent Yes
Commissioner David P. Rice Yes
Commissioner Murray E. Nelson Yes
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BOARD OF COUNlY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNlY, FLORIDA
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MONROE COUNTY ATTORNEY
VED AS TO
Wilhelmina Harvey