It is with great sadness we announce the passing of G. Ernest Heegard. With a Scouting career that spanned 8 decades, we honor the lifetime of unwavering service and the immeasurable legacy that he gave us. There isn’t one of us in Chester County Council whose lives haven’t been made richer by the generosity of his time, his teachings and his many gifts to our Scouting Community.
His leadership across the Council includes 42 years as Scoutmaster of Willistown Troop 78, 29 years as Assistant Scoutmaster, 28 years as Lodge Advisor to Octoraro Lodge #22, 29 years as Camp Director at Camp Horseshoe and the creator and first director of the Explorer Base (now Camp John H Ware 3rd). He served our Country in the US Army in the 1950s and taught Industrial Arts at Haverford High School for many years. In 1956, he was given the name Achgeketum by the Vigil Honor of the Order of the Arrow. Achgeketum is the Lenni Lenape word for “teacher”, a simple yet fitting name for what he was to everyone who he ever met.
We, the Chester County Council, Horseshoe Scout Reservation and Octoraro Lodge 22 share in this loss alongside his family and his troop as we thank him for the dedication he has shown to our program. And to those who knew him personally, we would not be the people we are today without the guidance, counsel and leadership values that he has instilled in us. He was a Scout, Scouter, Teacher, Adviser, Mentor, and Friend to us all.
