Kiwanis honors longtime member

Erik Bergdale, the longest continually serving member of the Gettysburg Adams Kiwanis Club has finally decided to take a much-deserved retirement from service. He will be sorely missed, not only by our membership, but also by the community he served for so many years.

Erik grew up in Adams County. Upon graduation from Gettysburg High School, he graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and made it his home until 1982. He then returned to Gettysburg to work with his dad, Marlon “Swede” Bergdale, in the family’s insurance business.

That same year, he joined the Gettysburg Kiwanis, where his father was already an active member. He’s been a fixture in the club for the last 40+ years.

Erik could always be counted on for any club activity, whether it be a service project, a fund-raiser or just plan fun. For many years he chaired the annual rose sale and coordinated Kiwanis participation in Farm City Days. He gave tirelessly of his time at the annual blueberry sale and the spring cleanup at the Rec Park during Kiwanis One Day.

He was our “grill master.” Whether it was for the Kiwanis food booth at the Outdoor Antique Show, the Adams County Library System FunFest, or the club’s annual picnic, Erik could be counted on to haul the grill to each event and man it for hours at a time. He’s also a great cook, always volunteering to bake a ham for dinners or a get-together.

A proud Eagle Scout himself, Erik was the driving force behind Kiwanis dinners that honored Eagle Scouts.

The club will certainly miss Erik’s institutional memory, as he is one of the last members to remember past activities such as the Kiwanis long gone gumball machines and the visitor’s information map on Gettysburg Square that Kiwanis once sponsored and maintained.

Erik tells us he and his wife, Lin, are excited to start the next chapter of their lives in a warmer climate. He is looking forward to working around his new home, golfing, fishing, and getting to the beach. We expect it won’t be long before the call to community service beckons again.

In honor of his many years of service to our club and the entire Adams County community, Gettysburg Adams Kiwanis has donated to the Pennsylvania Kiwanis Children’s Fund in Erik Bergdale’s name.

With many thanks and much love,

The members of the Gettysburg Adams Kiwanis

Mary Jane (MJ) Duffy,

Gettysburg