Harvard E. “Pete” Palmer Jr.

May 8, 1944 - January 23, 2023

Harvard E. “Pete” Palmer Jr., 78, advertising Guru who revolutionized the Car Donation Industry

By Patricia Ward Palmer San Francisco Bay area advertising executive Harvard E. “Pete” Palmer Jr. died at Summit Campus Hospital in Oakland, California on January 23, 2023 after a brief illness.

Pete was born on May 8, 1944 on Mercer Island, Washington to Harvard Palmer, Sr. and Gertrude (Lamping) Palmer. He attended Mercer Island elementary, junior high, and high schools, graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle, and spent summers sailing, and racing jv runabouts, on Lake Washington. He attended University of Washington, where he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. On his European travels after college, he acquired a used Norton motorcycle, which he rode for the remainder of his life.

In the early 1970s Pete arrived in the San Francisco Bay area where he tried his hand at the radio advertising business, starting as a sales man for KSFX (formerly KGOFM). He became expert at all aspects of radio advertising and helped several dozen Bay Area small businesses to flourish. A favorite slogan to characterize his approach:

Particularly Positive People Pursuing Profit and Peace for Posterity.

In the early 1990s Pete was involved in philanthropy through car donation programs for charitable causes. In 1998 he joined with other car donation industry leaders to promote national and state legislation designed to bring about more transparent donation reporting. He assisted the General Accounting Office in crafting federal legislation that became part of the Jobs Bill 2004.

Pete is survived by his wife, Patricia Ward, two stepchildren, Philippa Ward and Trent Ward (Mounia), all of California, and sister-in-law Cathy Palmer and nephews, Ira Palmer (Melody) and Ned Palmer, all of Seattle.

There will be a celebration of Pete’s life at the Oakland family home in summer 2023.