"Casual acquaintances of the late Harvey Begay probably never guessed that the mild-mannered Navajo jeweler was a driven combat aviator in another life.

Begay died at home in Steamboat Springs on March 2 at the age of 70. When they received the news, members of the two very different worlds of art and naval aviation mourned alike.

Begay, who lived here for nearly 37 years, was internationally known for his contemporary Native American jewelry. He was a respected figure for many years at the annual Indian Market in Santa Fe, N.M., as well as a member of the board of trustees at the Hurd Museum in Phoenix.

As a younger man, Begay served as the backseat radio officer in an F-4 Phantom interceptor jet and saw combat in Vietnam during the mid-1960s.

It’s difficult to reconcile the Harvey Begay who moved to Steamboat Springs in 1972 with the dashing Navy lieutenant who posed for a photo on the ladder of a Phantom in October 1966."

Get the Story:
Tom Ross: Harvey Begay walked in multiple worlds (The Steamboat Pilot and Today 3/7)