William Harsey Jr. (born 1955) is an American knifemaker and designer who works with several knife companies, including Gerber Legendary Blades, Lone Wolf Knives, Spartan Blades, Ruger/CRKT, Fantoni, and Chris Reeve Knives.

Personal history

Harsey was born into a logging family in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

in 1955. He received a BFA from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Work in the knife industry

Harsey is a custom knife maker, designing and crafting one-of-a-kind folding and fixed blade knives, often to order. In ''Battle Blades'', author Greg Walker identifies Harsey as producing superb edges and blade finishes on his knives, as well as making knives specifically for Al Mar and Colonel Rex Applegate. Even so, he is best known for his collaboration projects, in which he serves as knife designer for various knife companies. Harsey collaborated with Colonel Rex Applegate to design Gerber's Applegate-Fairbairn line. He worked with Chief James Watson to design Gerber's Watson/Harvey Silver Trident and worked with Chris Reeve and Matt Larsen to design the

LHR Combat Knife Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others bei ...

. Harsey designed the Neil Roberts Warrior Knife, which is dedicated to the memory of Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts, who was killed in action

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

in 2002 and the Pacific / First Group Knife, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Army Special Forces in Asia. One of Harsey's most significant designs was that of the Yarborough Knife, which is named after Lt. Gen. William P. Yarborough, known as the "father of modern Special Forces.". The Yarborough Knife is presented at the beginning in August 2002 to each graduate of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Special Forces Qualification Course The Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) or, informally, the Q Course is the initial formal training program for entry into the United States Army Special Forces. Phase I of the Q Course is Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). G ...

, with each of these knives possessing its own serial number, and logged in an official record book maintained by the

United States Army Special Operations Command The United States Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) (USASOC ( )) is the command charged with overseeing the various special operations forces of the United States Army. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, it is the largest ...

. The honor of the Yarborough Knife has become nearly equivalent to that of the Green Beret. To quote the

USASOC The United States Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) (USASOC ( )) is the command charged with overseeing the various special operations forces of the United States Army. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, it is the largest ...

News Service, "As each Green Beret crosses the stage upon graduation of the SFQC, he receives a legacy of the Brotherhood of Special Forces, signing in the pages of an illustrious history, shared by a select few. Only a few short years after its conception, the honor of the Yarborough Knife has now become almost as large of a part of the heritage and tradition of Special Forces as the Green Beret, and has been shared with a small number of dignitaries such as President George W. Bush.".

Industry awards

* 1996 International Blade Show "American Made Knife of the Year" Shackleford, Steve, Blade Magazine, "1996 Blade Magazine Knives of the Year", October 1996, p. 16-20 ("Applegate Fairbairn Combat Folder", designed by Harsey and manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades) * 2003 International Blade Show "Collaboration Knife of the Year" Shackleford, Steve, Blade Magazine, They Don't Get Much Sharper Than These, November 2003, p. 12-18 ("The Green Beret Knife", designed by Harsey and manufactured by Chris Reeve Knives) * 2004 Field and Stream Magazine "Best of the Best" Award ("Harsey Tactical Ranger Folder", designed by Harsey and manufactured by Lone Wolf Knives) * 2007 International Blade Show "American Made Knife of the Year" ("The Pacific Knife", designed by Harsey and manufactured by Chris Reeve Knives) * 2008 Field and Stream Magazine "Best of the Best" Award Petzal, David E., Field and Stream, "11th Annual Best of the Best Awards", September 2008, pages 84–102. ("The Pacific Knife") * 2010 International Blade Show "Collaboration of the Year" with Spartan Blades, LLC * 2010 USASOC Sniper Vendor Competition Winner * 2016 International Blade Show "American Made Knife of the Year"

References

External links

Spartan Harsey Difensa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harsey, Bill Jr. Knife makers Artists from Oregon University of Oregon alumni Living people 1955 births