Harvey M. Hinds, 85, died at his home in Edgartown on Thursday, October 5, 2017.
He was born in Stamford, Conn. in 1931, and graduated from Stamford High School; soon after, he joined the U. S. Navy. After serving for four years during the Korean War, he was honorably discharged and enrolled in the University of Connecticut in Storrs. He said many times that was one of the best decisions he made. He found that learning was exciting, and he made many friends. After graduation he married his college sweetheart and lived in New Jersey, where he worked for The Prudential Insurance Co. in Newark in a management training program.
In 1960 they moved back to Connecticut where his first son was born. For 22 years, he worked in a sales capacity, from salesman, to sales manager for several companies including Xerox and Merrill Lynch. During those years, his second son was born, he bought a home in Simsbury, and joined Hop Meadow Country Club, where he was membership chairman for a year. He also joined Rotary International in Simsbury, was president for one year and became very active in organizing charity events. He started a golf tournament that has become an annual event and an auction sponsored by the Simsbury Rotary Club, both of which were successful in raising money for scholarships. He became a Paul Harris Fellow in in 1988. His lifelong passion for golf began in seventh grade, when he began caddying, and then played his first game of golf in 1945. He kept a record of the courses that he played and as of 2006 it numbered 167.
In 1979, he and a friend formed a company called Mail Processing, which was the second in the nation and the first company to install a high speed optical scanning sorter for national mail and in 1986, processed over 200,000,000 pieces of mail. In 1986 they sold the company to Bell & Howell and retired.
After 50 years of coming to the Vineyard, he and Lyn finally moved in 1996 to live year round. Here he became active in Rotary, becoming the Finemeister, adding a satirical, rather perverse humor to the meetings, and started the first charitable golf tournament of Rotary on the Vineyard. His interest continued in selecting local students for Rotary International Foundation Scholarships and for two years MV students won the prestigious award worth approximately $25,00 to study abroad at the school of their choice for one year.
Harvey will be remembered by his family and friends for his quick-witted, warm humor and humorous stories of events and scenes that occurred while golfing and just living his life.
He leaves his beloved wife of 59 years, Lyn, and his two sons, Kurt Hinds of West Hartford, Conn., and Scott Hinds and his partner, Monica, of Concord, North Carolina; two grandchildren, Kelly Hinds of Boulder, Colorado and Bobby Hinds of Chicago, Illinois, and his cousin Michael Bayer and wife, Angela of West Palm Beach, Florida; and his cousin Linda Bayer of Wethersfield, Conn. He was preceded in death by his sister, Virginia.
Those who so desire may make memorial contributions to The Marthas’ Vineyard Rotary Club.P.O.Box 1951 Edgartown,Ma. 02539.
He has made a donation to the Anatomical Gift Program at Harvard Medical School so he will continue contributing in Boston. The family will have a private gathering at a later date.