Rex Harvey

Rex Jay Harvey (1946, Dexter, Iowa – December 22, 2019, Prescott, Arizona) was an American decathlete. He designed and held patents of several nozzles for aircraft engines. Also, he helped design several nuclear reactor power plants.

Harvey is a native of Redfield, Iowa and formerly resided in Mentor, Ohio.

High school career Harvey helped his Dexfield high school track and field team win two back to back state team championships in 1963 and 1964 under coach Dean Roe. While in high school, Harvey won many state titles as a pole vaulter and as a member of several relay teams.

College career Harvey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State, where he was a scholarship athlete in track and field. He received four invitations to U.S. NCAA Division I Championships in track and field. He later earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California.

United States Air Force service Following college, Harvey served his country in the United States Air Force, becoming a Vietnam War veteran and attaining the rank of captain.

Drake Relays Rex Harvey competed and officiated at the Drake Relays for many years. December 2020 Drake Relays announced the creation of the Drake Relays Rex Harvey Endowment for his service to Drake Relays.

Masters career Harvey won straight 13 straight national decathlon championships.

He was USATF outstanding male masters combined-events athlete of the year in 1989, 1991, and 1996. In 2000, Rex Harvey was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 2000. The 1989 booklet Masters Age-Graded Tables by the National Masters News and the World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) was later followed by the 1994 booklet Age-Graded Tables by National Masters News, P.O. Box 2372, Van Nuys, CA 91404. More recently, in 2004 Rex collaborated with Alan L. Jones and others to release an improved set of age-graded tables. The most recent version of the tables were published in 2010, still crediting Rex Harvey. These tables have been used extensively by both WAVA, which later became the World Masters Athletics (WMA), and USA Track & Field (USATF).

Official Rex Harvey was appointed WAVA (WMA) information technology coordinator and was elected as Vice President (Stadia) of WAVA (WMA) for two terms.

In 2007 at Osaka, Japan, during the 46th Congress of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), he was elected to the Master's Committee of the IAAF as a representative from the United States.

At the time of his death, he was the President of USATF Masters Track & Field. and David Pain Award (2009, 1993 and 1992).

Personal life On July 6, 1946, Rex Jay Harvey was born to Leo Marvel Harvey, and Anna Alice (née Rote) Harvey in Dexter, Iowa. He married his wife Joan in 1969 and they remained married for fifty years until his death. They had two children Jared and Keelie.

Harvey was a Research Development Engineer at Parker Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio.

His grave is in East Linn Cemetery near Redfield, Iowa.