Recipients

2000 – P/C Joe Skindell

2001 – Ladies Auxiliary

2002 – P/C Harold F. Eisert

2003 – P/C James D. Campbell

2004 – P/C Tony DiNicola

2005 – P/C Jerry Galvin

2006 – P/C Anne Eisert

2007 – Alvin Wright

2008 – P/C Dan Krahe, Sr

2009 – P/C Neil Hammill

As an Erie native, Harold Eisert grew up near the shores of Lake Erie. Having spent some of his early life aboard his uncle’s motor launch and houseboat, he was bitten by the boating bug at an early age. Shortly after his marriage to his wife, Tillie, he bought an outboard motor boat and then built his first inboard speedboat in the late 30’s. He moored this speedboat at the Presque Isle State Park boat docks near the Police Barracks building (now the “Nature Center”). It was during this period (early 1940’s) that these State Park boat docks needed maintenance, but State funds were not allocated to do the repairs. The boaters who leased these moorings from the State Park gathered together and formed the “Presque Isle Boat Owners Association” with the purpose of having a “stronger voice” in obtaining repairs to this deteriorated boating facility. So in 1944, Harold Eisert, Sr. was elected Commodore of this new organization; a post that he held of five years. Through his leadership and the help of the “Association’s” club members, dock repairs were made by these people. Seeing the improvements and constant care to this facility by the “Presque Isle Boat Owners Association” members, the State of Pennsylvania granted the “Association” a lease for this mooring facility. Presque Isle Boat Owners Association continued to develop this facility on State Park property from the late 40’s until the mid 50’s.

Because of the general deterioration of the entire peninsula in the early 50’s, a citizens action committee formed to “Save Our Peninsula”. Recognizing this need to “protect and improve” Presque Isle State Park, the State of Pennsylvania initiated a program to curtail the erosion of the park’s shoreline. With the advent of Presque Isle State Park’s improvement program in the mid-50’s “Presque Isle Boat Owners Association” relocated to the Park’s newly created “Marina Lake”. Its original mooring facility near the “Nature Center” was eliminated to make way for the Park’s new four-lane road system. The “Association” continued to expand and remained at this location until 1962. During this time the “Association” changed its name to Presque Isle Yacht Club, Inc. to better suit its purpose; that of providing a service to all types of pleasure boats.

With the continued growth of Presque Isle Yacht Club and its limitations on State Park property, the Yacht Club’s members wanted to find a more permanent home with room to expand. Harold Eisert led a task force to obtain a place for the Presque Isle Yacht Club on the city of Erie’s bay front property. This led to the Club’s relocation to its current “West Canal Basin” location at the foot of Peach Street; where it has enjoyed a good relationship with Erie’s Port Authority ever since. From its early days on Presque Isle State Park when there were few members and small boats, Presque Isle Yacht Club has grown to a membership of over 160 families with facilities for 145 sail and powerboats up to 40 feet in length.

Besides being the first Commodore of Presque Isle Yacht Club, Harold served as a board member, secretary and on numerous committees for over 50 years. He was instrumental in the design and construction of the clubhouse in 1968. He also spearheaded the construction of the Club’s boat haul out facility in 1973. It was his idea for a “floating dock” mooring system that established the design and manufacture of the current mooring facility installed in the early 90’s.

Even though Presque Isle Yacht Club has been his main interest throughout these last 60 years, Harold also helped establish and was the first Commander of a Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 4-03 in 1948. This organization is dedicated to teaching safe boating through its various educational classes, courtesy boat examinations for regulation safety equipment and assisting the regular Coast Guard in times of need. Many Safe Boating Classes and Courtesy Boat Examinations were conducted at this site.

Harold was also the founding Secretary of the Pennsylvania Pleasure Boating Association, a post that he held for over 30 years since it was organized in 1962. This is a statewide organization of the state’s pleasure boating public to oversee and lobby for the enactment of the PA State’s pleasure boat laws.

Harold and his wife, Tillie, were active boating participants throughout their 64 years together. They enjoyed many years together traveling throughout Lake Erie aboard their cabin cruiser “Tresie II”. Both of their children, Harold Jr. and Martin are active boaters today as well as some of their grandchildren.

In the mid-90’s, Harold wrote and published a book on the first 50 years of Presque Isle Yacht Club. He continued to work at his “desk” writing to legislators with his concerns over various matters, especially covering his thoughts in the “safety of pleasure boating”, until his death on September 16, 2001.  To this day, his name will be remembered as “Our Founding Father.”