PEL Alumnus Trevor D. Harvey '07 working with Newtown Conservation Historic District project

by Julee Breehne
Photos courtesy of Trevor Harvey and 
the Newtown Conservation Historic District project 

Trevor D. Harvey '07 serves the Sarasota community in many ways.

When Trevor Harvey '07 completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management in 2006, he was already decorated with a host of personal and professional accomplishments. So much so that, in 2007, he was recognized as one of Sarasota's "New 100" in terms of making things happen. He hasn't stopped, either.

This past January, Harvey and other members of the Newtown Citizen Historic Task Force charged with working with Vicki Oldham, consultant developing the Newtown Conservation Historic District Project (NCHD) were recognized when the project was awarded the 2016 Sarasota MLK Community Service Award.  Through research and oral testimonials, the group is working to preserve the history of the area’s African American community.

Harvey, a native Sarasotan and a product of Newtown, gained more than he expected during the research phase of the project.

Trevor's grandfather, Nathaniel Harvey

“I learned things about the history of my own family that were new to me,” Harvey said in an interview. Harvey's grandfather, Nathaniel Harvey, who at one time worked in the celery fields when celery was grown in the Sarasota area, was one of more than 25 long-time Newtown residents who were interviewed for the first phase of the project.

The interviews were video-recorded and will be made available online. Several videos about the development of the project have already been uploaded to a YouTube channel, Sarasota Newtown.

Oldham said in an email interview that the research team will deliver a report to the City of Sarasota on May 16. Phase 2 plans for using the information collected from researching the African American community's 100-year history include developing a walking tour and an historic map.

The research team includes Dr. Rosalyn Howard, retired University of Central Florida cultural anthropologist, with whom Oldham worked on another project, Looking for Angola: The Search for an 1800's Black Settlement. 

When asked about how his most recent MLK Community Service Award reflects Martin Luther King Jr.’s work, Harvey pointed to a focus on preserving cross-generational communication among minorities in order to prepare a new generation of people who are ready to give back.

Harvey has been working as Student Development Adviser at the Bradenton campus of State College of Florida (SCF) since 2008, but his work in the community goes back many more years.  He serves as the NAACP Chapter President, a Teamster Trailblazer and, in 2015, earned a Congressional award for his commitment to strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the residents of Newtown.

Dr. Helen Meyer, director of the former Sarasota PEL center, remembered Harvey as "a dedicated student who, like most PEL students then, juggled work, family, and his faith." A couple of years after Harvey graduated from Eckerd and after Meyer had moved on to become the Associate Vice President for Student Development at SCF, the two reconnected and Meyer suggested he apply for a position at SCF's Venice campus.

"I knew the determination Trevor had as a PEL student would serve him well as our enrollment was booming," Meyer said in an email interview.

Harvey credits PEL with deepening his outreach efforts.“I was already very involved in my community, but completing my degree launched me to the next level,” he said.

He has fond memories of his time in PEL, and especially for his Life, Learning and Vocation instructor Iris Gonzalez, who has since died.

“She had such a passion for mentoring the adult student,” Harvey recalled.

The love of learning Harvey developed on the path to finishing his bachelor’s degree continues and has resulted in leadership development training through the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, certificates through National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). When asked what drives him each day and inspires his success, Harvey points to gratitude.

“My worst day is a good day,” he said.

More information about the Newtown Conservation Historic District project can be found in a February 2016 article in the Polk edition (page 21) of Lifestyles After 50, "Keeping Newtown Alive."

Julee Breehne has worked as one of PEL's admission counselors since 2007