Former Haddonfield Mayor Awarded Community Service Award

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Former Haddonfield Mayor and longtime borough resident Letitia “Tish” Colombi has been awarded the 2018 Alfred E. Driscoll Award for Community Service, the Haddonfield Civic Association announced.

She will receive the award at the Haddonfield Civic Association’s annual meeting and town dinner on Thursday, April 26, at Tavistock Country Club. All are invited to attend. The Haddonfield Civic Association will also recognize Haddonfield Memorial High School students as recipients of the Bradshaw Essay Contest, the Quanci Award for Visual Arts, and the Kaufmann Award for Performing Arts.

“The Haddonfield Civic Association is proud to build upon its long-standing history of honoring Borough residents with the Alfred E. Driscoll Award for Community Service,” Haddonfield Civic Association President Dennis Tully said. “This year’s recipient, Tish Colombi, continues the tradition of recipients who have changed the culture of Haddonfield through exemplary volunteerism which encourages others to do the same. Our Borough is a better place due to the actions of Tish, former Driscoll Award winners, and those they have inspired.”

The award honors the late Governor Driscoll, a distinguished citizen of Haddonfield and the state of New Jersey. It acknowledges an uncommon effort made on behalf of the community, with the intention that those who receive it will inspire others, and that it will encourage broader participation in civic activities in the Haddonfield community.

Letitia Gayle Polacek was born in Stamford, Texas. She later moved to Odessa, Texas, where she attended Permian High School, the school featured in the popular book and TV series, “Friday Night Lights.” She was a high school cheerleader, the homecoming queen and a beauty pageant contestant.

In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, she worked at the Alcohol Control Board and met Dan Colombi, who was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base. In 1969, they settled in Haddonfield, where Tish quickly became involved in the community.

Although Mrs. Colombi is best known for her many years of service as an elected commissioner and mayor in Haddonfield, it is the contributions she has made to numerous community organizations over 50 years that eminently qualify her to receive this award, the association said.

She served as president of the Home School Association, now known as the PTA; was a trustee of The Haddonfield Foundation; trustee of the Historical Society of Haddonfield; president and trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield; vice president of the Haddonfield Cultural Events Commission; director of the First Colonial Community Bank; and member of the Boxwood Arts Theater and Cultural Center executive committee.

Colombi’s legacy demonstrates a desire to help strengthen the role of girls and women in the community. In 1974, she and Dan helped establish the Pigtail Softball program and remained involved in the program for more than 25 years.

In 2000, she helped hundreds of girls participate in the Camden County League of Women Voters’ “Running and Winning” program, an innovative workshop designed to teach high school juniors and seniors about the challenges and rewards of holding public office.

She has remained actively involved in this award-winning program since its inception. During her tenure as mayor, Colombi established the notable practice of recognizing the achievements of women in Haddonfield during Women’s History Month, over the years acknowledging some 600 women for their contributions to the community and their vocations.

Her dedication to volunteerism extends beyond Haddonfield. The survivor of two heart attacks, Colombi was one of two women to receive the inaugural New Jersey Go Red for Women "Woman of Distinction" award in 2007 and still serves as an ambassador and spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

She also received the Girl Scouts' Woman of Achievement Award in 2000, the YWCA's Tribute to Women and Industry Award in 2003, and the Alice Paul Equality Award in 2014. At the state level, she helped found the NJ Association of Elected Women Officials and served as its president for several years.

"Volunteering is such an integral part of the culture of Haddonfield that selecting one person to receive the Driscoll Award each year must be a very difficult task indeed,” Colombi said. “It was a great surprise to be chosen, and I thank the Civic Association for honoring me with this prestigious award."

Since 1931, the Haddonfield Civic Association has recognized individuals or organizations that have made a lasting, positive impact on the town as a volunteer. Visit www.haddonfieldcivic.com/event/annual-town-dinner-2018 to purchase tickets for the annual town dinner. Contact HCA vice president Eric Johnson at ericcharlesjohnson@msn.com or 617-510-3673 to inquire about HCA membership or for more information about the Driscoll Award and the annual town dinner.

The attached image of Letitia “Tish” Colombi was provided. Photo credit: Joe Routon