Harvey Rogers, who passed away on March 23 at age 95, wore enough hats for several lifetimes. Successful businessman, Navy officer, car enthusiast, intrepid traveler, enthusiastic sailor (including on the Belvedere Lagoon, where he distinguished himself as a racer and Commodore), lifelong gardener, loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, he always had a project in hand and a smile for everyone. On the Tiburon Peninsula, however, he will be best remembered as the founder and guiding spirit of Harvey’s Garden at Blackie’s Pasture. After retiring at age 70, he completed the rigorous Master Gardener program and was encouraged to develop a community garden as a capstone project. He quickly identified a mud-hole at Blackie’s Pasture as worthy of his talents and led the effort to transform it into a public garden showcasing plants that would thrive in Tiburon Peninsula gardens. For over 20 years he created budgets, secured funding, and managed a crew of volunteers to plant, irrigate, maintain, and upgrade the beautiful garden we enjoy today. Until very shortly before his death he was actively involved with the garden, visiting it often and assessing which plants should be replaced and which others would do well in that location.
Harvey was the quintessential Belvedere volunteer, giving back to our beautiful community with joy and commitment. His photo graces the home page of this website, just below the blog section, in the Projects box. Click on Projects and select Environment to find the link to the Marin Master Gardeners website page describing Harvey’s Garden.
Harvey’s Garden will live on as a blessing to his memory. James Campbell has taken on leadership and would be happy to hear from you if you would like to volunteer. If you want to make a donation to the garden in Harvey’s memory, you can send a check to the Tiburon Peninsula Foundation with Harvey’s Garden in the memo line. The Belvedere Community Foundation continues its financial support of Harvey’s Garden through our grant program.
