Harvey Alan Slepian

He was born January 12, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY the son of Harry and Nora (Kemp) Slepian. Harvey’s family moved from Brooklyn to Mansfield, OH and he graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1953. He attended THE Ohio State University initially as a wide receiver on a Football Scholarship, which he promptly and fortuitously converted into an Academic Scholarship. He established lifelong relationships as a member of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, then playing intramural football. Harvey graduated from THE Ohio State University in 1958 with a Degree in Business Administration. A member of ROTC during his college career, Harvey later served this country he loved in the U.S. Army.

Harvey is survived by his loving wife Rosalee J. Pruett Slepian. Also, grieving his passing is his Chinchilla Persian cat, The Buckeye II.

He had two children, Jeff Lawrence Slepian and Julie Renee Porter, and 6 grandchildren, Alex, Eric, and Rachel Slepian, and Brett Alan, Brooke, and Brandon Porter. He also has a sister, Andrea.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Harry.

He was currently a board member of the local chapter of America’s Gold Star Families, and a longtime member of both Mt. Hawley Country Club and River City Athletic Club. During his business career, he was a member of the American Trucking Association. His generosity extended to a variety of charities serving the needs of many.

After college, he embarked on a career with Union Underwear, best recognized as “Fruit of the Loom”, then occupying offices in the Empire State Building. He was assigned to a sales territory in downstate Illinois. He chose to reside in Peoria, in great part because, as an avid sports fan, it was home to Bradley Braves basketball. And there, he first met his wife as a “Merri-n-ette”, the dance and drill team of the Bradley Braves. Peoria became his lifelong home.

Harvey’s career path then turned to Sun Life. An exemplary agent, he was honored as “Man of the Year” nationally. He distinguished himself as an advisor, simultaneously holding insurance, real estate broker, and Series H investment licenses.

As a real estate professional, he developed a subdivision in Peoria, an apartment complex, and commercial and investment properties in and out of state. He formed the first Limited Partnership in the Peoria area during this phase of his career.

Approached for investment by an associate and close friend, Ray Cassano, in 1976, he founded Big Al’s on Main Street in Peoria with Ray and another then Peorian, “Rusty” Clifford Lee.

Ever fun loving, his next venture in the hospitality business was Three Worlds Disco, opening in 1977 with a Star Wars’ Darth Vader promotion. He fondly remembered his friends, Fast Freddie and the Playboys, who performed on numerous occasions in Three Worlds.

1985 brought a new direction to his entrepreneurial endeavors. An engineer, “Stormy” Loran Sutton approached him to invest in “Temp-A-Start”. Harvey was ever an innovator, inventor and visionary. Temp-A-Start was a system that through Artificial Intelligence programming, started diesel engines, particularly 18-wheeler tractor trailers, and shut them down based upon ambient temperature and battery condition amongst other parameters. But most importantly, the product did this without the presence of a driver at the wheel of the truck. The purpose of the product was to conserve fuel by reducing idling of diesel trucks which was customarily continuous. And, it maintained the truck engine and the driver’s comfort if in a sleeper compartment.

He developed and sold the Temp-A-Start and related product from 1985. The present company, TAS Distributing Co., Inc. was formed in 1992. Harvey remained President of that company, never wanting to retire, until his death. He had licensed Temp-A-Start first to ThermoKing, then Detroit Diesel, and Cummins Engine. In later years, customers include Phillips Conoco in the oil fields of Alaska. Countless gallons of fuel have been conserved through Temp-A-Start.

Many will be familiar with the operation of adaptive cruise control. Harvey, in fact, envisioned this technology. He holds numerous patents for this technology, Temp-A-Start, and other products.

Go Bucks! Ohio State Football. A Passionate fan, with his wife, he attended numerous playoff games, and the thrilling 2015 win over Oregon for the National Championship.

He loved sports. In addition to THE Ohio State Buckeyes football, Bradley Braves basketball, a season ticket holder for years, the New York Yankees, present at the 2001 World Series game when Derek Jeeter hit the Midnight Home Run, he played tennis, golfed, and was an outstanding body builder.

A graveside service will be at 11:00 am, Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at Parkview Cemetery in Peoria. Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel is in Charge of arrangements.

Memorials may be made to America’s Gold Star Families, forwarded through Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel. Words of comfort can be shared with the family at www.davison-fulton.com.