Will Harvin was a war hero, a former Manning mayor, a Manning Rotarian and a Sunay school teacher.
The 94-year-old Manning resident was formally recognized twice by the South Carolina House of Representatives, once by the South Carolina State Senate and once by the hometown he helmed for nearly a decade.
Harvin was a three-sport athlete at Manning High School, graduating in 1941, not long before the bombing of Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II.
The man many people simply knew as "Mr. Will," William Burgess Harvin, died Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, at McLeod Health Clarendon, surrounded by his family.
Born June 16, 1924, in Manning, he was a son of the late Stewart Ingram Harvin and Leila Burgess Harvin. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, serving aboard the USS Oberrender, which was sunk by a Japanese Kamikaze. Will was a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he lettered in football and baseball. He returned to Manning, started a family and founded Harvin Oil Company. He was an avid tennis player and coach and the city courts are named in his honor. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church at Manning, where he served as a Sunday school teacher and elder. The fellowship hall of the church is named in his honor. Will served as mayor of Manning from 1966 to 1970; he was a Rotarian for 67 years, where he served as sergeant-at-arms; and he was a faithful member of the Mullet Club. He was inducted in the first class of the Clarendon County Athletic Hall of Fame and was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce.
"He was the true epitome of a southern gentleman," said longtime friend Jim Black. "We'd known one another probably 45 years."
Both were members of the Manning Rotary Club together, and both served on the National Bank Board, Black said.
"He was a good businessman and fair in his dealings," Black noted. "He was a good family man, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. I was pleased to call him my friend."
Fellow Rotarian Ted Gardner agreed.
"He was a very likable person and easy to talk to," Gardner said. "He was always fun to be around. We never did see him get down, even when he had health difficulties in the last few years."
After leaving the service, Harvin enrolled at the University of South Carolina, where he lettered in both football and baseball. He even earned a scholarship and a starting role on the football squad in his senior year, graduating in 1948.
A staple on the field for the Gamecocks, Harvin was known as somewhat of a local hero for his athletic exploits, although during his college days, he had not yet picked up the sport for which he would be known.
“I was 35 the first time I picked up a tennis racket,” Harvin said in 2016, discussing the world of power serves and backhand volleys. “I knew I needed to do something other than just work all the time. So, I started playing tennis with some friends from Sumter.”
Harvin soon built his own private clay tennis court in his back yard.
“I just played more and more every day,” he said. “I traveled all over the state, entering this tournament and that tournament. I enjoyed playing competitively.”
Harvin even won a few men’s doubles State Championship titles with good friend Charlie Hodges of Sumter. As a singles player, he reached as high as No. 2 for his age bracket in the state. It wasn’t long before his beloved Monarchs came calling.
“They asked me in the late 1970s to be the first ever head boys’ tennis coach,” Harvin said. “Not long after that, I was asked to coach the first ever girls’ tennis team at Salem Academy in New Zion. That school is closed now.”
Harvin’s Salem girls team ultimately advanced to the State Championship finals, losing the crown to Hilton Head.
Carol Floyd Lepp was one of Harvin's tennis pupils.
"He was an incredible man," she said. "I took tennis lessons from him when I was a teenager, and he is the only reason I won my singles match one year at a tennis championship. He was an incredibly talented tennis player, trainer and motivator. He was also such a dear friend to my father and our family. I feel so honored to have known him."
Those who were lucky enough to learn from Harvin said there was no one like him.
“I didn’t know what tennis was when I first moved to Clarendon County,” said current Manning High School tennis coach Kay Young. “I learned the game from Will Harvin. He put the sport on the map locally.”
Young said Harvin was deservedly one of the most well-loved men in Clarendon County.
"He's not just loved because of their impact on sports, but because of his impact on people,” she said. “A lot of the accolades Harvin has gotten is because of what he’s done for tennis here. He has made tennis players out of more people in this county alone than probably anyone ever has, anywhere. He built tennis here.”
Harvin said in 2016 it was always the nature of the game that appealed so much to him. Although he excelled at just about any athletic endeavor, tennis called to him.
As his competitive mind shifted more toward coaching younger players, he focused primarily on developing well-rounded individuals rather than athletes.
Former 3rd Circuit Judge Thomas W. “Tommy” Cooper said anyone training with Harvin didn’t just get a tennis lesson.
“They always ended up with a lesson about life,” Cooper said. “He never tried to beat people over the head with his faith, but he has lived a life of faith as a stalwart Presbyterian, and you couldn’t escape learning from him in that aspect if you knew him.”
Harvin just wanted to help young people excel, he said last year. He wanted to be someone they could look up to.
“Tennis was something good that you could have for young people,” he said. “Nobody bets on it. You can’t cheat in tennis. It’s just a good all-around game to be involved with. It’s meant an awful lot in my life. I was glad to do it, and I could see that the kids enjoyed it. I’ve gotten an awful lot out of it, and I enjoy still seeing people that I coached playing the game.”
It’s an attitude that Harvin took to city government when he served as mayor in the 1950s. Cooper said that one rarely saw a downbeat Will Harvin.
“He was also one of the most enthusiastic people you will ever meet,” Cooper said. “If you ever saw Will down, then you know it was a bad day for everybody, because he was always upbeat, cheerful and optimistic. People just loved being around him because of that positive outlook that he has.”
That positive attitude is why just about every Clarendonian who knew Harvin “thought the world of him,” Young said.
“He was such a role model, and such a wonderful person, inside and out,” she said. “He was both very giving and a very Godly man. God came first in his life, and it was very obvious when he worked with people. He’s just so awesome.”
Survivors besides his wife of Manning include his children, Jean Lumpkin Harvin of Columbia, William Burgess Harvin Jr. of Woodland Hills, California, Bryan LeGrande Harvin of Dothan, Alabama, Nancy Ingram Harvin (Arnie Lerner) of Corrales, New Mexico and Specialist 1st Class Samuel Oliver Harvin (Jan) of Bel Air, Maryland; a sister, Cecilia Harvin Eadon of Manning; six grandchildren, Will, Stephanie, Caroline, Ben, Alex and Riley; five great-grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 55 years, Jean Lumpkin Harvin.
A funeral service was held Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, at the Presbyterian Church at Manning, with the Rev. Dr. George Wilkes officiating. Burial followed in the Manning Cemetery.
Pallbearers included Stewart Harvin, Harry “Doc” Harvin, Jule Eadon, Cam Harvin, Lee Harvin, Plowden Nelson and Sam Edmunds. Honorary pallbearers included members of the Mullet Club and the Manning Rotary Club.
Visitation was held Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, at Stephens Funeral Home, and at other times at the home, 526 Sunset Drive in Manning.
Memorials may be made to the Presbyterian Church at Manning, P.O. Box 207, Manning, SC 29102; or to a charity of one’s choice.
