Harold T. ‘Hap’ Gerrish, DMD, who served on the board at Tufts-New England Medical Center for over twenty years, died on June 29th 2006, at his Bowerbank, Maine home on Sebec Lake. Dr. Gerrish, 76 years old, was co-founder of the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute.
"Hap was the heart and soul of Kiwanis", said a former colleague."
Dr. Gerrish, who first joined the Kiwanis Club of Dover-Foxcroft in 1957 served as club president in 1965 and led 22 Kiwanis clubs in central Maine as Lt. Governor of the New England District in 1967. He was also a Distinguished Governor of the New England District in 1991-1992. He served 28 years on the Board of the Kiwanis Foundation of New England and was President from 1981-83.
His name is displayed permanently at Kiwanis International as a three-time recipient of the Tablet of Honor, the highest award given to individuals who have exemplified dedicated service to Kiwanis, their club or community. He was a life member of Kiwanis International, a 49-year member of the Legion of Honor and a George F. Hixon fellow of the Kiwanis International Foundation.
Dr. Gerrish earned his DMD from Tufts Dental School in 1955. While attending Tufts Dental School he played first violin with the Boston Pops for Arthur Fiedler. In the mid 1950’s, he was a paratrooper for the U.S. Army and ran a dental clinic at Fort Bragg, NC. He also completed an internship at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.