Navy admiral has ties to Youngstown area
The admiral is chief of naval personnel.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Admiral John C. Harvey Jr., whose parents were born and reared in Youngstown, led activities during Navy Week in Cleveland this week.
Harvey, who became the 54th Chief of Naval Personnel on Nov. 22, 2005, is also Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for manpower, personnel, training and education. In those positions, he is responsible for the recruiting, retention, training and education of all personnel.
In a telephone interview, Harvey, born and reared in Baltimore, said Navy Week in Cleveland is one of about 30 such events around the country each year. They are both a recruiting tool and a way of showing people what the Navy is all about, he said.
Naval personnel who will participate in this weekend's Cleveland National Air Show include the Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team and the commanding officer and three other sailors from the city's namesake ship, the USS Cleveland.
Practice, show times
The Blue Angels will practice their show at 3:30 p.m. Friday, and will perform at the Cleveland National Air Show from Saturday through Monday at 3:30 p.m. each day.
Harvey's parents, Dr. John and Adele Harvey, who now live in Potomac, Md., are graduates of The Rayen School here. Dr. John Harvey graduated from Yale University and Johns Hopkins Medical School, where he became a member of the staff and ended up as a professor of medicine.
Admiral Harvey's grandfather, Dr. Joseph P. Harvey, was a physician on Youngstown's Northside for 55 years. Also, his mother's family once owned the Renner Brewery here.
Admiral Harvey said he plans to come back to Youngstown next year to hear the annual lecture endowed at Youngstown State University in memory of his grandfather by his father and uncle, Dr. Paul Harvey, in honor of his grandparents, Dr. Joseph and Mary Harvey.
Harvey, 54, received his commission from the Naval Academy in 1973. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, reside in Washington, D.C., on the Washington Navy Yard, and have two children, Sarah, 20, and David, 18.