Before the Malverne Little League’s Opening Day on Saturday, the village will unveil Bernie Havern Way, as a tribute to the man who was the heart of the village’s baseball community and a widely respected resident.
Havern was a Nassau County Police Department detective, the founder of Molloy University’s baseball program and a Malverne Little League coach. He is a member of Molloy’s Hall of Fame, inducted in 2011, and his Little League teams played in tournaments across Long Island and as far afield as upstate Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Havern died on April 13, 2012, at age 68, after a battle with cancer. Fourteen years after his death, the village is honoring him with a roadway in Whelan Park, where he built much of his legacy.
“He was a good man,” former Mayor Catherine Hunt said. “When he died, the church was packed like he was the president. I didn’t believe how many people knew and loved him. He was very generous with his time and energy in this village.”
Havern’s daughter, Jennifer Havern Major, recalled his status and reputation in the village. “His former players called him up years later to let him know they got engaged,” she said. “He was a mentor for them in baseball and in life.”
Havern and Hunt established the Malverne Dodgers in the late 1980s, a team made up of post-high school athletes that competed in the Long Island Stan Musial Amateur Baseball League. “It was a team for men around the college age,” Hunt said. “Some of the people who played on those teams are probably 50 years old today. if you mentioned Bernie Havern, they would remember him.”
Current Mayor Tim Sullivan, who proposed the idea of Bernie Havern Way at Whelan Park, spoke highly of Havern’s character in a statement. “Every generation who grew up playing in Little League in Malverne has a fond memory of the individuals who stand out due to their heartfelt contributions to the league,” Sullivan said.
“Bernie Havern will fondly be remembered as ‘Mr. Baseball’ for many generations to come,” Sullivan added, “for his countless deeds and unselfish dedication to baseball, enriching the lives of so many and for his tireless efforts in making Malverne a standout model in cherishing America’s Pastime.”
Approached by Major and her 2 brothers and sister, Sullivan decided on a street dedicated to their father rather than a flagpole, scoreboard or other memorial. “He nurtured and mentored so many in this community, so we opted to go with the street,” Major said. “Baseball was the love of his life, but his life was more than that. He was dedicated to his family and his community.”
Havern’s wife, Joan, still lives in Malverne. She is 83 years old.
“It’s a huge honor that almost 14 years later, that he’s being honored and he hasn't been forgotten,” Major said.
Aside from coaching Little League, Havern also contributed to Malverne baseball by maintaining the fields at Howard T. Herber Middle School and Malverne High School, as well as the field at Whelan Park, since he was never an employee of the village or the school district. He even built the pitcher’s mound at the high school.
“These fields didn’t look like they look today,” Hunt said. “He was instrumental in the process of improving these fields. When I was mayor, I named him baseball commissioner, and I think he was really proud of that.”
“He used to take care of the fields like he owned them,” she added, “and the superintendent at the time used to let him because they were friendly.”
Hunt’s daughter, Bridget Jelovcic, explained that the district’s budget never included funds to refurbish the baseball fields, so Havern did the work himself.
