Dear members of the Gettysburg College community,
It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of Dr. Gordon Haaland, the 12th president of Gettysburg College. Dr. Haaland died yesterday, October 23, 2017 at the age of 77 due to complications related to an extended illness.
Under his leadership, Gettysburg College strengthened its student recruitment and enrollment, enhanced its academic reputation and curricular offerings, and reinvigorated its campus grounds and facilities, all while advancing the College’s community relations and fundraising efforts.
As his executive assistant from 1991 to 1994, I was always impressed by Gordon’s humility, his unflappable nature, and his great confidence in the Gettysburg College community.
More information regarding the presidency of Dr. Haaland is available on the College website: http://gburg.us/2zAZ37F.
The family has requested that memorials be sent to the Carol and Gordon Haaland Scholarship Fund at Gettysburg College, 300 North Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325 or made online at http://gburg.us/2yPu2zt. A memorial celebration will be held on Sunday, November 5, at Indian Creek Country Club in Kilmarnock, VA from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Other memorial celebrations will be held on future dates in Florida and Maine. We also plan to have a celebration of Dr. Haaland’s life on the Gettysburg College campus at a later date.
I am sure that we will all keep the Haaland family in our thoughts, and I invite you to share memories of Gordon with one another.
Sincerely,
Janet Morgan Riggs ’77
President