GETTYSBURG, PA (06/20/2012)(readMedia)-- In recent weeks Gettysburg College recognized alumni for their extraordinary personal accomplishments, professional achievements, or humanitarian service. Each exemplifies the College's promise to prepare graduates to be leaders and active citizens in their professions, communities, nation, and the world.
At the Spring Honors Day program on May 19, Richard L. Erdmann '68 Executive Vice President and General Counsel The Conservation Fund was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor given by the Alumni Association.
A political science major while at Gettysburg, Erdmann is vice president and general counsel of The Conservation Fund, launched in 1985 by Erdmann's classmate and fellow Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Patrick Noonan '68. Erdmann has been recognized for his significant contributions to land conservation and green space preservation and has negotiated land deals in each of the 50 states, conserving millions of acres of land for communities and the nation. The interest he and Noonan shared in the Battle of Gettysburg from their College years led to the creation of The Conservation Fund's Civil War Battlefield Campaign and the return of the historic Harman Farm, a "Day 1" battle site, to the National Park Service in 2011.
Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition that includes Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate and other distinguished scholars among its alumni. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania within a couple hours drive of four major metropolitan areas.