A picture is worth a thousand words, and Michigan City local Kevin Harmon is documenting his love for sports and his community through his camera lens. Harmon came out of retirement to pursue his passion and is currently the sports information coordinator for Access LaPorte County.
Harmon grew up and lived in Michigan City his whole life and went to Michigan City schools. He went to Elston for his freshman year, and then from sophomore to senior year, he went to Rogers High School. After graduating, Harmon moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he attended Fisk University for his bachelor’s in mathematics before heading to Vincennes University for an associates in computer programming.
“I was a math major. I was always good at numbers and that sort of thing, so I developed that as a major,” Harmon said. “I was more involved with computer programming, and I learned a lot about different mainframe languages to be more versatile.”
After crossing the stage with degrees in hand, Harmon spent the next 19 years at Bethlehem Steel in the information services department. With the advancement of technology, Harmon’s job was eliminated. It was hard finding a job that paid as much as he was making in his field in the early 2000s, but Harmon found himself at Meijer where he then spent the next 17 years before taking an early retirement in 2018.
Retirement is the lifetime goal for most, but an old hobby got Harmon back in the field and his drive comes from his fans. Harmon covered Rogers High School events and did print work in the early ‘90s and just went all around the field of photography. In 2001, he got out of the field and started doing his own thing. He has shared thousands of photos on social media throughout the years.
“I loved what I was doing. I would go to the games and post photos, and that generated a good following,” Harmon said. “I started with MySpace then moved to Facebook. You'll see tons of albums up there, and that's pretty much how I became known in the community.”
Harmon spends countless hours and many restless nights processing videos and photos because of what it means to the community, especially the student-athletes he covers. Those busy nights are worth it to Harmon when he sees the community’s reaction to his posts.
“Coming up as a kid, you were always thrilled to see your picture in the paper, and that’s what I do for these kids,” Harmon said. “A lot of times, the newspapers don’t come out to cover games. With me being there to capture them in action and share the good light, they have come to count on me, and it gives them memories to hold onto.”
Being in his late 60s, Harmon says he still has the energy of a 30 or 40-year-old, but there is a time to slow down. Harmon does a lot for the community, helps with the schools’ websites and so much more. Harmon doesn’t plan to give up photography any time soon, but he may slow down a little to enjoy his other hobbies. The love he has for his fans and the love they have for him is unforgettable. Harmon will forever cherish the people he has met and the events he has covered.
If interested, you can visit Harmon’s linked stories to see how much the community appreciates him.