The Next Step: - Westminster College

www.westminster.edu
By Mark Meighen
The End of an Era
Quick-witted accounting professor Ron Bergey
retires after 42 years at head of the class
Roaming the Old Main hallways will be
much less entertaining now that accounting
professor Ron Bergey has retired
after 42 years at Westminster College.
No one was safe from Bergey’s quick-witted comments. He prefaced
questions to President Tom Williamson with the title “Head
Genius.” Jesse Mann, vice president for academic affairs and dean
of the College, was labeled as “Mr. Liberal Arts.” Other retorts can’t
be shared in a family magazine, but all titles were bestowed with
affection.
Bergey takes his profession, but not himself, seriously. He modestly
claims he was able to teach for 42 years because “it wasn’t
that demanding of a job.” The nearly 4,000 students he has taught
and over 400 graduates he has personally helped land meaningful
jobs would disagree with Bergey’s humble assessment.
When Bergey was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award during
Commencement this May, for the first time in 42 years he was
at a loss for words. His normally gruff voice cracked. His affection
for Westminster and dedication to her students couldn’t be hidden
beneath a crusty exterior.
“If I could have had more than three seconds I could have come
up with some witty retort,” Bergey said looking back on the special
day. “I was shocked that an accountant could win that award at this
haven of the liberal arts. You could say that my son and some of
my former students wanted to know why it took me 42 years to get
it.”
Bergey and his wife, Nancy, both Philadelphia-area natives, didn’t
plan on settling down in New Wilmington in 1962. He chose
Westminster over an offer from the accounting firm Ernst & Ernst.
“Westminster gave us a nice house on Gateway for 90 bucks a
month with water in the backyard, so we decided to stay a couple
Ron Bergey shakes hands with Jesse Mann after being named the
College’s 2004 Distinguished Faculty Award winner at Commencement.
Bergey, whose sharp humor and dedication to his
students were constants in Old Main for over four decades,
retired this year after 42 years of teaching accounting.
Bergey, Erhardt Recognized for Service to Westminster
Two members of the Westminster faculty with 78 years of service
to the College officially retired and were honored during
Commencement.
Ron Bergey and Jacob Erhardt were recognized by the Board
of Trustees for their distinguished careers; Bergey was named
professor of accounting emeritus and Erhardt was named professor
of German emeritus.
Bergey, who earned his undergraduate degree at Juniata College
and his master’s at Indiana University, joined the College
in 1962 as an instructor in the economics and business department.
He rose to the rank of assistant professor in 1966, associate
professor in 1970, and became a full professor in 1982.
Erhardt joined the faculty of the then-
Department of Foreign Languages in
1968 after teaching at both Case Western
Reserve University and Bowling Green
State University. He was chair of the department
from 1970-1986 and since 1991
has held the McCune Endowed Chair in
the Humanities.
Erhardt
Erhardt earned his B.A. from Baldwin-
Wallace College, an M.A. from Middlebury College and his
Ph.D. from Case Western.
16 Spring 2004 • Westminster College Magazine