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| LLOYD E. WORNER AWARD RECIPIENT
1995 |
Harold E. Berg '36
Harold Berg attended Colorado College back in the mid 1930s when the
Great Depression was in full-swing. He worked for room and food at a boarding
house on Wood Avenue, stoking the fire and shoveling snow. He pumped gas
at a local station. He washed dishes and waited tables at a cafe on Tejon
Street and drove tourist buses for the Broadmoor and Antlers hotels. Still,
he found the time to letter for four years on the basketball team and
serve as president of his senior class. He received the E.C. van Deist
Award in 1936. Harold met Martha Howell '37 while at college, and they
married shortly after graduation.
In spite of professional demands, Harold Berg has been a steady presence
at Colorado College ever since those days of snow shoveling and hoop dunking
sixty years ago. "Whenever there was a need, Harold Berg was there,"
says Barbara Yalich '53, Vice President Emerita of Development and college
Relations. "Over a period of sixty years, he has been a dedicated
alumnus as well as distinguished in his profession," she adds. Wherever
he and his wife Martha happened to be living, they have assisted the College,
hosting events in their home and at the Getty Museum, making phone calls,
and organizing groups. He has been at the center of the College alumni
network for years.
Harold has served on many College committees: Trustee Development, Alumni
Athletic, the building and Grounds, Development, Athletic Fundraising
Leadership, and chair of the President's Council. He was instrumental
in securing the $1 million endowment from the Getty Trust to create the
Harold E. Berg Endowment for Art. In June of this year, he retired from
the Board of Trustees after eighteen years of service.
In terms of his career, Harold has been an extraordinary success. Before
he had even graduated from Colorado College, then president Thurston J.
Davis thought enough of Harold to help him get started in the oil business
with Tidewater Associated Oil Company. He rose from that job as an engineering
trainee in the oil fields of east Texas to become president of Kelly Oil.
A trusted colleague of J. Paul Getty, Harold went on to become executive
vice-president of Getty Oil. when Getty died in 1976, Harold became President,
and in 1979, he became Chairman of the Board and CEO. After retiring in
1980, he served as Chairman of the J. Paul Getty Trust, becoming involved
in many philanthropic projects.
Harold Berg, through his constant support and generous assistance, has
helped Colorado College immeasurably. what better recipient of the Worner
Award for outstanding loyalty, service and generosity to the College than
Harold E. Berg?
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