November 15, 1934 – January 6, 2008
Harvey Scales was born on November 15, 1934, in Parkdale, Arkansas. He was the fourth of six sons born to Emma (Davidson) and Lavell Scales.
Harvey joined the Parkdale Church of God in Christ and was baptized by the late Bishop T. J. Kinlow. He attended Savage Elementary School. He completed the eighth grade in May 1949. Later that year, he moved to Saint Louis to live with one of his older brothers and attend high school. In 1953, Harvey graduated from Charles Sumner High School. That fall, he enrolled in Stowe Teacher’s College for a semester before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in January 1954. After basic training, he went to technical school and became a Ground Radar Operator.
In June 1954, while home on leave, Harvey joined Lane Tabernacle C.M.E. Church under the late Rev. J. M. Pettigrew.
Upon his return from leave, Harvey was shipped off to Germany. While there, he traveled to France, Holland, Denmark, Austria and Belgium. He returned stateside in June 1957 and was stationed in Omaha, Nebraska. He served there until he was honorably discharged in December 1957, with the rank of staff sergeant. He returned to Saint Louis to seek employment.
Harvey worked in several occupations before securing the position of Substitute Letter Carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in May 1959. In October that same year, he became one of the first two carriers assigned to Kinloch, the oldest black settlement in the state of Missouri.
On May 5 1961, Harvey was united in holy matrimony to the former Miss Gwendolyn Rose in Saint Augustine, Florida. This union was blessed with five children, Daryl, Kim, Dwayne, Karen and Dwight.
In 1970, Harvey purchased a dump truck and established Scales and Sons Hauling. He worked as an independent contractor for Central Paving Company until 1976. He then went to work as a commercial truck driver, driving both locally and over the road for Terminal Transport, American Freight Systems, Middlewest Freight, Bemac, and ABF. In 1994, he returned to the U.S. Postal Service to work as a truck driver until he retired in July 1999.
Harvey was an active member of Lane Tabernacle C.M.E. Church. His activities included Sunday School, the Food Pantry, member and leader of the J.M. Pettigrew Class, member of Usher Board #2, member of the Health Ministry and chairman of the Trustee Board.
Harvey was also an active member of the community. He was appointed by former Mayor Vincent Schoemehl to serve three one-year terms on the Commission of Crime and Law Enforcement for the City of Saint Louis. He was a member of the North Side Neighborhood Action Association and the 27th Ward Democratic Organization. He served on the 5900 Block of Tara Lane Block Unit. He was a member of the Minority Advisory Committee on Prostate Cancer and the Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD) at the Siteman Cancer Center. He also participated in the 100 Black Men Prostate Cancer Walk. He was a past member of The Prometheans, Incorporated and the Sumner High School Class of 1953 Club.
Harvey enjoyed hunting, traveling, playing pinochle and cooking.
Harvey departed this life on January 6, 2008, after battling lung cancer. He is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn; children, Sandra (James), Daryl (Connie), Kim, Dwayne (Shari), Karen, and Dwight; grandchildren, Belinda, James Jr., Daryl Jr., Krysten, Karyn, Dustin, Devin, Dwayne II, Dyson, and Kayla; brothers, Earl and James; and sisters-in-law, Junia and Ann.
A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, February 16, 2008 at Lane Tabernacle C.M.E. Church, 910 North Newstead Avenue. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Lane Tabernacle C.M.E. Church building fund or the American Cancer Society.