Elizabethtown College alumnus Howard “Hob” Kroesen ’71 was recently awarded the Vincent W. O’Connor Public Service Award by the Elizabethtown Borough Council President, Marc Hershey.

This award is presented annually to a deserving individual in the Elizabethtown community, and it honors Kroesen’s gifts of time, talent, and unwavering dedication to the betterment of the Elizabethtown community.

Kroesen has dedicated over 40 years to the Elizabethtown area through active participation in a variety of organizations. One of his greatest accomplishments is the development of the property and facilities at Poplar Street Park in the Borough, which is currently home to the Greater Elizabethtown Area Recreation & Community Services (GEARS).

He has also served in multiple leadership positions in areas including community recreation planning, the development of facilities and programming for recreation, athletics, and community services, and the development of the Athletics program at Elizabethtown College.

Kroesen previously won the College’s Educate for Service award in 2019, which recognized his loyalty and commitment to supporting student-athletes at Etown and beyond.

When presenting Kroesen with the award, President Marc Hershey remarked that Kroesen’s dedication to the Elizabethtown community over the last four decades truly embodied the spirit of the annual award.