Obituary for Harley Edison Jolley
Dr. Harley Edison Jolley, 100, of Mars Hill, NC concluded his final adventure here on Earth Monday, November, 23, 2020 following a period of declining health.
Dr. Jolley was born in Hudson, NC on July 5, 1920. He grew up in Caldwell County, NC, graduating from Kings Creek High School in 1937 before joining the Civilian Conservation Corps the same year. While with the CCC, he served with crews in Lexington, NC, Yellowstone National Park and Death Valley National Park working on land conservation and also learned to type, a skill that would serve him well throughout his life.
Following his time with the CCC, he joined the US Army Air Corps in 1939. Shortly after enlisting he was stationed at Hickam Air Field, adjacent to Pearl Harbor, in Honolulu, HI. He survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and various air bases throughout the island of Oahu. He continued to serve at Hickam through most of 1942 at which time he was moved to Uma, AZ for flight training. He was top of his class coming out of the classroom training.
Unfortunately, he was also top of the class in air sickness. After boredom set in for the now grounded trainee in Arizona, he asked to be sent to the European Theatre of the War.
He arrived in England on his 24th birthday and shortly thereafter was sent to the Normandy region of France. Now a Staff Supply Sergeant, Harley was a part of the supply chain and cleanup troops that followed Patton’s army as they marched across France, liberating the country from German occupation. Shortly after celebrating VE Day in Paris with friends, he returned home on leave and was discharged soon afterward.
Harley, being of humble beginnings, relied on the GI Bill to fund his education. He attended Appalachian State Teachers College (now University) in Boone, NC to gain his bachelor's degree in History and that is where he met and fell in love with his future bride Betty Cornette. Next, he pursued a master’s degree in History at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
In 1949, he joined the History Faculty at then Mars Hill Junior College, now Mars Hill University and married on Christmas Eve that same year. As he told her, “Christmastime is the perfect time to become Jolley.” He and his wife, Betty Jolley, who passed away in 2007, formed the backbone of the MHU history department for approximately four decades.
During his 42 year tenure on the MHU Faculty, Jolley was a very busy man! He worked to earn his doctorate degree in History from Florida State University in 1964. During summers, he worked as an Interpretive Ranger and Park Historian for the National Park Service along the Blue Ridge Parkway where he became known as the preeminent expert on the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway. In 1984 he retired from the Park Service with 25 years of service.
Throughout his tenure at MHU he authored numerous books and articles, most about the Blue Ridge Parkway, winning the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award in 1969. He led many educational group travel adventures both during and after his work at MHU. Jolley also taught the Community Sunday School Class at Mars Hill Baptist Church for more than 30 years.
Dr. Jolley was keenly aware of the history and heritage of the people of the Appalachian region. Before it was a focus by other historians, he was an advocate of environmental education and preservation of the land, artifacts and oral history of the people and traditions of this region. His
time spent in research was a labor of love. He was the scholarly voice championing the “Mountain Man.”
Following his retirement from MHU in 1991, Dr. Jolley was a much sought after expert speaker on many historical topics, but especially on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the CCC and the bombing at Pearl Harbor. He continued writing and researching as a Cultural Resource Historian. In 2007, Jolley researched and wrote of the history of the CCC in his home state: a book entitled That Magnificent Army of Youth and Peace: The Civilian Conservation Corps in North Carolina, 1933-1942. He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor in 2008.
He also took advantage of his newly acquired free time to travel around the United States and throughout the world. Many of his more recent travel adventures have been followed by literally hundreds of friends and fans on the Facebook pages of his son and daughter-in-law. Among his documented journeys in just the past four years are his only return to Pearl Harbor at the 75th Remembrance Celebration, two trips to Europe, including England, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium and even a very brief stopover in Germany, at least one trip to Canada, stateside journeys to Santa Fe and Los Alamos in NM, Chicago, NYC, San Diego, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Billings, MT, the Upper Peninsula of MI and so many other points of interest along the way. He truly believed that travel provides the best and broadest education.
Dr. Jolley is preceded in death by his mother Sallie Jolley and his beloved wife of 57 years, Betty. He is survived by two sons: Benjamin and wife, Brenda, of Matthews, NC and Stuart and wife, Jackie, of Mars Hill, NC; four grandsons: David and wife, Brittney, of Charlotte, NC; Christopher of Matthews, NC; Samuel and Johnathan of Mars Hill, NC.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November, 28th. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, yet to be determined.
Gifts in memory of Dr. Jolley may be made to the Mars Hill University Jolley Scholarship, Mars Hill University Athletics, Mars Hill Baptist Church or the Blue Ridge Parkway Employee and Alumni Association.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org
Dr. Jolley was born in Hudson, NC on July 5, 1920. He grew up in Caldwell County, NC, graduating from Kings Creek High School in 1937 before joining the Civilian Conservation Corps the same year. While with the CCC, he served with crews in Lexington, NC, Yellowstone National Park and Death Valley National Park working on land conservation and also learned to type, a skill that would serve him well throughout his life.
Following his time with the CCC, he joined the US Army Air Corps in 1939. Shortly after enlisting he was stationed at Hickam Air Field, adjacent to Pearl Harbor, in Honolulu, HI. He survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and various air bases throughout the island of Oahu. He continued to serve at Hickam through most of 1942 at which time he was moved to Uma, AZ for flight training. He was top of his class coming out of the classroom training.
Unfortunately, he was also top of the class in air sickness. After boredom set in for the now grounded trainee in Arizona, he asked to be sent to the European Theatre of the War.
He arrived in England on his 24th birthday and shortly thereafter was sent to the Normandy region of France. Now a Staff Supply Sergeant, Harley was a part of the supply chain and cleanup troops that followed Patton’s army as they marched across France, liberating the country from German occupation. Shortly after celebrating VE Day in Paris with friends, he returned home on leave and was discharged soon afterward.
Harley, being of humble beginnings, relied on the GI Bill to fund his education. He attended Appalachian State Teachers College (now University) in Boone, NC to gain his bachelor's degree in History and that is where he met and fell in love with his future bride Betty Cornette. Next, he pursued a master’s degree in History at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
In 1949, he joined the History Faculty at then Mars Hill Junior College, now Mars Hill University and married on Christmas Eve that same year. As he told her, “Christmastime is the perfect time to become Jolley.” He and his wife, Betty Jolley, who passed away in 2007, formed the backbone of the MHU history department for approximately four decades.
During his 42 year tenure on the MHU Faculty, Jolley was a very busy man! He worked to earn his doctorate degree in History from Florida State University in 1964. During summers, he worked as an Interpretive Ranger and Park Historian for the National Park Service along the Blue Ridge Parkway where he became known as the preeminent expert on the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway. In 1984 he retired from the Park Service with 25 years of service.
Throughout his tenure at MHU he authored numerous books and articles, most about the Blue Ridge Parkway, winning the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award in 1969. He led many educational group travel adventures both during and after his work at MHU. Jolley also taught the Community Sunday School Class at Mars Hill Baptist Church for more than 30 years.
Dr. Jolley was keenly aware of the history and heritage of the people of the Appalachian region. Before it was a focus by other historians, he was an advocate of environmental education and preservation of the land, artifacts and oral history of the people and traditions of this region. His
time spent in research was a labor of love. He was the scholarly voice championing the “Mountain Man.”
Following his retirement from MHU in 1991, Dr. Jolley was a much sought after expert speaker on many historical topics, but especially on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the CCC and the bombing at Pearl Harbor. He continued writing and researching as a Cultural Resource Historian. In 2007, Jolley researched and wrote of the history of the CCC in his home state: a book entitled That Magnificent Army of Youth and Peace: The Civilian Conservation Corps in North Carolina, 1933-1942. He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor in 2008.
He also took advantage of his newly acquired free time to travel around the United States and throughout the world. Many of his more recent travel adventures have been followed by literally hundreds of friends and fans on the Facebook pages of his son and daughter-in-law. Among his documented journeys in just the past four years are his only return to Pearl Harbor at the 75th Remembrance Celebration, two trips to Europe, including England, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium and even a very brief stopover in Germany, at least one trip to Canada, stateside journeys to Santa Fe and Los Alamos in NM, Chicago, NYC, San Diego, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Billings, MT, the Upper Peninsula of MI and so many other points of interest along the way. He truly believed that travel provides the best and broadest education.
Dr. Jolley is preceded in death by his mother Sallie Jolley and his beloved wife of 57 years, Betty. He is survived by two sons: Benjamin and wife, Brenda, of Matthews, NC and Stuart and wife, Jackie, of Mars Hill, NC; four grandsons: David and wife, Brittney, of Charlotte, NC; Christopher of Matthews, NC; Samuel and Johnathan of Mars Hill, NC.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November, 28th. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, yet to be determined.
Gifts in memory of Dr. Jolley may be made to the Mars Hill University Jolley Scholarship, Mars Hill University Athletics, Mars Hill Baptist Church or the Blue Ridge Parkway Employee and Alumni Association.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org