BERNIE KURDT President Emeritus Artillerist Extraordinaire

It comes with great sadness that we report the passing of Bernie Kurdt on 18 January 2003, after a long and valiantly fought battle with cancer.

From the time that he joined our Association, Bernie was a valued member, advisor and before very long, officer. He served
President from 1997 until 2003, guiding our Association as we grew and adapted to our changing times. He was also an
active and valued member of the N-SSA, serving as an officer with that organization and winning many awards in
competition. Bernie’s talents were many and varied. He was well known as an excellent “maker of things”, be they related
unrelated to the art and sport of antique artillery. He could hold the attention of a crowd, tell a terrible joke, make a profound point, quell brewing trouble with a look or a growl and hold his own with anyone - be they king or pauper.

He was most well-known for his talent with guns, particularly field artillery. Not only was he a virtuoso machinist, he had a special power over some of them and a touch of his hands could make a wandering gun shoot straight and a competitors’ dead on 10X go awry. Bernie’s life was celebrated by family and friends on Saturday 1 February 2003 in Fishkill, NY. Fellow artillerist and long-time friend Bill Neiffer spoke eloquently and poignantly about the man we all knew and
loved. We have lost a friend, an uncle, a competitor, a father, a grandfather. But it is more important to realize what we
gained - more than we shall ever know - while in his presence. We shall go on, as shall our Association and we
shall always be the richer of having had the experience, guiding hands, humor and wisdom that were Bernie’s.
Our deepest sympathies go out to wife Trudie and son Ken.

Personally, I shall always miss the combination of bowler hat and blonde wig. There are so few who can pull
that off these days. [Ed]

Reprinted from the American Artillery Association Newsletter, edited by Lydia