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Elmer Gardner, 92, was police officer 1955 to 1965 in South Fayette
Badge of Service
Elmer Gardner was among early officers who laid the groundwork for the South Fayette Township Police Department.
By Andrea Iglar
Elmer Gardner, 92, was born on Sygan Hill, and he still lives in the same neighborhood.
The lifelong South Fayette resident was one of the township’s earliest police officers, serving the department from 1955 to 1965.
“South Fayette has really changed,” Gardner said during an interview at his home in April. “It really grew up, the township.”
Born Dec. 18, 1931, Gardner attended
the Sygan primary school and graduated from Lafayette High School in Morgan in 1949.
He worked for a contractor until the Army drafted him in 1952 to serve in Germany—not Korea as he expected. He was a corporal in the 536th Military Police Company.
Upon honorable discharge in November 1954, Gardner returned home. About a month later, he received a call from someone who worked for the township.
Gardner recalled the conversation: “He said, ‘Were you in the military police?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Are you interested in being a policeman?’ I said, ‘Sure.’”
Gardner joined the police in early 1955. The South Fayette department had been established only a few years earlier, in 1951, with three officers and one Plymouth squad car.
In the early days, officers timed speeding with everyday wristwatches, and the most common problem was public drunkenness, Gardner said.
Activity occurred mostly in populated areas such as Morgan Hill, Sygan Hill, National Hill and Sturgeon.
“Back then, there was hardly anything,” Gardner said. "Everything had to revolve around Morgan.”
Eventually, Gardner and fellow officer Carl Wolcutt attended police school one night a week for
six weeks, but they never had to attend an academy or take a civil service exam.
During his years as a police officer, Gardner met his future wife, Geraldine Heirendt (now deceased), and eventually had two daughters, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
His daughters, Denise Carmichael and Dawna Downey, live nearby on Sygan Hill, along with numerous extended family members.
Gardner served the South Fayette Volunteer Fire Department in the Cuddy neighborhood for many years, joining fellow firefighters on a bowling team that played at Sygan SNPJ Lodge No. 6.
After a decade, Gardner left the police department for the Allegheny County Port Authority, where he worked as a bus driver until retirement.
By the time Gardner quit the police in 1965, South Fayette had six officers.
Today, the police department has 23 officers, an administrative assistant and two police dogs.
Police Chief John Phoennik, a South Fayette officer for 34 years, said the modern department is built upon the service of past officers.
“I truly appreciate Elmer and the other early police officers for laying the groundwork for where we are now,” Phoennik said.
