Steve Ehrhardt first walked into Friendship Haven 50 years ago looking for an opportunity to work.

“I interviewed here in college to get a job as a junior accountant,” Ehrhardt said. “I got the job, and I’ve been at Friendship Haven ever since for 50 years.”

Ehrhardt credits his longevity at Friendship Haven to the lively work experience provided by the retirement community.

“Every day is different,” he said. “No two days are ever alike, so it’s challenging, but very beneficial.”

Ehrhardt currently works in the Life Enrichment Department, where he coordinates with residents to help them pursue their desired activities.

“I work with independent residents on anything they want to do on and off campus,” Ehrhardt said. “I also work with the Friendship Haven Travel Club, which is made up of community members that like to travel along with residents.”

He noted that the residents take part in numerous opportunities provided by Friendship Haven.

“They love campus bingo and we all go together once or twice a week,” Ehrhardt said. “We have church services every Sunday morning and we have Catholic Mass running Monday through Friday.”

Ehrhardt said that the most rewarding part of his job is being thanked by the residents and giving them the opportunity to pursue new ventures.

“The most rewarding thing is to hear a thank you from the residents,” Ehrhardt said. “Some of the residents and I are going on a cruise, and we’re doing nine countries in 10 days and we also travel a lot.”

Ehrhardt has prepared for the 75th anniversary of Friendship Haven this year by doing extensive research on the history of the retirement community.

“I’ve been looking at a lot of history books, and we’ve been looking at pictures and getting an idea of things that have gone on over the years,” Ehrhardt said.

Ehrhardt had the opportunity to work with Clarence Tompkins, the founder of Friendship Haven.

“I was one of the fortunate people that worked here with Dr. Clarence Tompkins, the founder, so I’ve always kind of known what his dream was, and we want to keep it going,” he said.

The research has given Ehrhardt the opportunity to reminisce on his fond memories of working with Tompkins.

“Dr. Tompkins would just stop by no matter what you were doing and say, ‘Thank you for coming to work,'” Ehrhardt said. “He would always go out and get pies for us and then he would drop off pies to people. He was just very appreciative of all of the staff.”

Ehrhardt said that Friendship Haven has continued to be a welcoming place for residents and employees during his 50 years there.

“Time goes by so fast,” Ehrhardt said. “Everybody here is always welcome and friendly — from the residents to the employees. People just enjoy it when they’re here and we’ve had many interns that have come and become regular employees over the years.”

Numerous long-time employees at Friendship Haven have moved there for their retirement, according to Ehrhardt.

“It’s kind of fun to see that employees I have worked with now live here,” he said. “They’re just right down the hall from you and it just reminds you of how things were and gives you so much encouragement.”