BEF to Host Award Dinner for Educational Excellence

Bloomfield High School Class of 1949 graduate, Patricia Gibson Carter, will be one of four chosen to be honored at The Bloomfield Educational Foundation’s  “2^nd Century of Excellence” annual dinner, planned for April 21^st at The Forest Hill Field Club.  Additional awardees include Mark Sceurman ‘75, who will receive the Alumnus of the Year Award; BHS Principal, Christopher Jennings, chosen to receive the Educator of the Year Award; and The St. Valentine’s Athletic Club, the recipient of The Friends of Bloomfield Schools Award.    

The dinner, which is open to the public, will begin at 6:30PM.  The $90 ticket includes a cocktail hour, buffet dinner and open bar.  A merchandise raffle and a 50-50 will complete the evening, with all proceeds going to the BEF.  Tickets are available and for purchase by calling 973-403-0032 or sending an email to info@bloomfieldeducationalfoundation.org.

About Patricia Gibson Carter ‘49

In addition to excelling academically during her tenure at Bloomfield High School, Pat rose to be the Captain of the girls archery team in her senior year and led them to win the National Championship, earning them the title of the best girls archery team in the nation.  Pat credited their coach, Edith Russell, for the team’s notoriety, blazing a trail for her girls by taking them outside of the school to compete at such venues as the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Springfield, MA.  To compete in these locations, Pat’s team practiced three days a week from September through June, aspiring to excel as an earlier high school archery team member, Ann Weber, did who went on to compete in the Olympics.

Pat is the daughter of the late Dorothy and John Gibson, grew up with five siblings: John, Katherine, Thomas, Mary Elizabeth and Edward, (deceased).  Her parents instilled a rigorous work ethic into each of their children, and Pat credits her athleticism to her Dad’s track coaching abilities and influence.  A bad car accident during her senior year swayed Pat’s wish to pursue a nursing career.  After high school, at the suggestion of her father, she attended Berkeley Secretarial School.  Armed with a degree from Berkeley, she went to work for Schering Plough.  In 1952 she married Bob Carter.  Soon after, they started a family and raised six children of their own: Kathleen Carter Martinez, an adjunct professor at SUNY/Plattsburg; the late Patti Lee; Gerald, a golf pro and special education teacher at Sparta High School and Head Bowling and Golf Coach; J. Gibson (GIB), the Director of Athletics at High Point High School; Michael, a Bloomfield High School teacher and Head Football Coach; and Head Football Coach; and Marjorie Valerian, a Reading Specialist at Passaic High School.  Pat currently has twenty one grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

A lifetime Bloomfield resident, in her forty second year in the Guidance Office at Bloomfield High School, Pat has helped hundreds, if not thousands of students fulfill their lifes’ dreams.  She has been a member of the Bloomfield Juvenile Conference Committee for over thirty years and served as a volunteer on the Bloomfield Library Board.  For the past four plus decades, BHS students have relied on Pat’s friendly demeanor and kind, strong hand to guide them to the next stages of their lives.  Pat relishes the work load, is a strong advocate for her students and lauds their accomplishments to co-workers, teaches and staff members.

Very humble about the positive role she has had in so many young people’s lives, Pat did share one of her favorite success stories, which involved a young girl who arrived here from Haiti to live with her aunt in Pat’s neighborhood.  Worried about what this high school student would do upon graduation, Pat accompanied her to a Saturday Open House at Bloomfield College.  Knowing that tuition was an obstacle, Pat advocated for her at the college’s Financial Aid office, where she received a scholarship, which, coupled with work study and a part time job, made ends meet.  In four years’ time, the young girl graduated with a nursing degree and is currently working in a local hospital.

“We are thrilled to be honoring Pat Carter, a 1949 graduate of Bloomfield High School, as she epitomizes what Bloomfield High School graduates stand for – hard work, honesty, compassion and the will to succeed.  Her legacy will be in the success stories of countless graduates who received her wisdom and friendship and pursued their dreams because of her positive influence on their lives,” shared Madeline Wollner, BEF Vice-Chairman.

About The Bloomfield Educational Foundation (BEF)

Founded in 1999 by Chairman-Emeritus, Joseph Kliminski and Past Chairman, Robert Fetterly, the BEF is a registered 501-c-3 Foundation, which strives to enhance the educational experience for all Bloomfield Public School children, grades K-12.  This year marks their 12^th anniversary and with it, a milestone of giving what totals close to a half of a million dollars in college scholarships, teacher classroom grants, and extraordinary grants for larger projects. 

In particular, the BEF has supported the Bloomfield Public Schools with:

• ongoing funding for the after school athletic and academic program, Soaring to Success in the Middle School; Freshman Football Tutoring/Guidance
• donations to support equipment for the renovation and updating of the BHS music studio
• funds to support the BHS annual musical
• ongoing support for the V.E.S.T. program, which serves special needs students by teaching them vocational and career skills
• teacher grants for innovative programs, school wide, in reading, forensics, science and more
• technology initiatives in all Bloomfield Public Schools in cooperation with the Home and School Associations.

Consult the website for more complete details and other upcoming alumnae and fund raising events:  www.bloomfieldeducationalfoundation.org or call BEF Executive Director, Ann Dassing at 973-403-0032.