Berwick land becomes park named for Kyle

Berwick has a new park thanks to a donation in honor of a citizen who is being remembered 20 years after his death.
The family of Ed Kyle on Monday officially donated a piece of land on the Berwick riverfront. It is now J. Edwin Kyle Jr. Memorial Park.
The property has been appraised at $350,000, Mayor Duval Arthur said. It’s not clear yet what the town government will use the park for.
Kyle was born Oct. 19, 1917, in New Iberia. After attending Iberia schools, Sewanee Military Academy, Tulane and LSU, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1941.
He served as a naval officer in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service, according to his obituary.
The same obituary describes him as a pioneer in the offshore oil field service business. He managed the family-owned Drilling Mud Co. in Berwick from its founding.
In 1955, he co-founded and served as the first chairman and CEO of Tidewater Marine, which designed and built the first oil field supply boat in its classic configuration.
Kyle died June 25, 2005.
Arthur remembers Kyle as “part of the woodwork” in Berwick.
In addition to his work in the oilfield service industry, Arthur said, Kyle also had connections with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Kyle was able to help people interact with the Corps.
“He had a good reputation for being able to help people,” Arthur said. “That was his legacy, a helper, a mover and a shaker.”
The park has two large buildings, now used to store town and Fire Department equipment, and a pavilion.
The town may move its monthly farmer’s market to the pavilion, Arthur said. Other than that, “we’re looking for ideas.”