ERNEST MILTON BERG – ERNIE – was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on January 14, 1909. He was the 8th of 9 children in a large German heritage family.
He attended St. Peters School through 8th Grade and then obtained his Bookkeeping credentials at a Fort Wayne business college.

Ernie was hired as a bookkeeper for several small businesses, including taverns, the then called “filling stations,” and local trucking companies.

He married Kathryn Blackwell in 1934, and they settled into their native Fort Wayne. They had two daughters – Judy and Bonnie – and the family enjoyed many active years in the Fort Wayne community.

As a teenager/young adult, Ernie was afflicted with polio which left him with a noticeable limp – thus he never served time in the military. That military status, plus his many business experiences and entrepreneurial skills and personality all made him the main Fort Wayne prospect for leading the new Fort Wayne All-American Girls Professional Baseball Team. He was very soon hired as the Business Manager of the Fort Wayne Daisies.  Ernie was the Business Manager of the Daisies from 1945 until 1952. The offices were located in the Hotel Van Orman in Fort Wayne.

In 1952, Ernie was inspired by the building of the new Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. He envisioned the many possibilities for the lovely new structure, one being a professional ice hockey team! He convinced several local businessmen to venture with him and they formed the Fort Wayne Komet Hockey Team. In fact, Komet is spelled with a “K” for Ernie’s wife Kay! The team is still in Fort Wayne after 50+ years! What a vision Ernie had!

Ernie died suddenly of a heart attack in October, 1965. His wife Kay had died of cancer in 1964. Their two daughters and their families still show their allegiance to both the Daisies/ All American Girls Professional Baseball League Association, to the local TinCaps Baseball Team, and to the Komet Hockey Team.

Ernie Berg left his legacy on many, many lives in Fort Wayne and beyond – he was inducted posthumously into the Komet Hall of Fame in 2004.