Life of Earl Harvey Celebrated by PR Council of Atlantic City; Mother Dies
By Clyde Hughes | AC Joseph Media
ATLANTIC CITY — The Public Relations Council of Atlantic City held a Celebration of Life event in memory of AC Times Publisher Earl Harvey at Bourre, 201 S. New York Ave., on Thursday, Nov. 5.
Harvey, who lived in Atlantic City and was taken care of by his mother Martha Harvey, died unexpectedly on Oct. 12. He was 65. Martha Harvey died on Friday, Nov. 6, the day after PR Council’s event. She was 90.
Emceed by radio show host Mike Lopez, of AC Mike Show on News Talk 1400 WOND-AM, friends and family shared their memories of the charismatic publisher and marketer who made friends with everyone he met.
Jay Bagley, Harvey’s friend of more than 40 years; South Jersey Journal publisher Al Thomas, who knew Harvey in Philadelphia over the course of his professional career; daughter Alexis Harvey and family member Marvin Burroughs; all shared their reflections along with members of the PR Council.
Rev. Jon Thomas, the former pastor of St. Monica and St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Atlantic City shared his thoughts and a prayer while musician Billy Brown performed.
NAACP President and City Councilman Kaleem Shabazz along with fellow Councilman Aaron “Sporty” Randolph presented a proclamation from the City of Atlantic City.
PR Council President William Cradle, a longtime friend of Harvey, organized the event with members Beverly Beveridge and Phyllis Lacca.
Harvey, a longtime Philadelphia-area marketing specialist and publisher of the Black Professionals News in Philadelphia, was keenly interested in uplifting and supporting minority-owned businesses throughout his life.
Harvey was generous with his time and acknowledgement, speaking about the media to the local chapter of the NAACP, promoting Black businesses and encouraging others.
Below is Harvey’s obituary that was read in its entirety at the ceremony:
Earl Davis Harvey (also affectionately known as “Dada”) was born on January 1, 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the late Ernest, Sr. and Martha (Nee Parker) Harvey. He had quite a notable educational background as an alumnus of the prestigious Central High School in Philadelphia, as well as Temple University, where he earned a Communications degree. Earl always felt the entrepreneurial spirit and achieved his dreams with numerous business ventures.
Putting his communications background to use, he established the Earl Harvey Media Group. Under this umbrella, he began publishing the Black Professionals News after realizing the lack of affordable media outlets for smaller minority-owned businesses. He later launched The Atlantic City Times to specifically support the South Jersey minority-owned business community. Earl held many other professional roles throughout his lifetime, including being a longtime member of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and the Minority Enterprise Development Week Committee. Due to his work as a successful marketing consultant, he was named president of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Alliance of Marketing Developers. Most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, he became heavily involved with the Black Business Leadership Council to help salvage small businesses within the region.
As a result of his numerous contributions to the black business community, Earl received many accolades, including the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Community Service Award in 2014, and the Office of Economic Opportunity Champion Award in 2019. Earl had a passion and a devotion to his family, friends and community. He was an avid sports fan, and loved his Philadelphia Eagles, 76ers, and Temple Owls. Always the “life of the party”; his soirees were something that no one ever wanted to miss, and absolutely the “talk of the town”: He loved to entertain and would ensure that everyone had a good time. Earl embodied the true definition of a “people person”; leaving a lasting impression on everyone he met.
On Monday October 12, 2020, Earl grooved into his afterlife party. He is preceded in death by his father, Ernest A. Harvey, Sr., and brother, Ernest A. Harvey, Jr. He leaves behind his mother, Martha; daughter, Alexis; son, Collin; nephew, Ernie; and a host of cousins, extended family and friends.
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