John Taylor Babbitt '07 Memorial Field | alumni ... - Pingry School

22
the pingry review
[ School News ]
New Chair of the Board is an Alumnus
and a Legal Expert
Jack Brescher ’65 is the new
Chair of the board of trustees.
He joined the board in July
1995 when Bill Engel ’67 was
Chair, and he succeeds Vicki
Brooks. Jack was Vice-Chair
during her tenure.
He earned a bachelor of science
degree in Business and Economics at
Lehigh University in 1969 and, at
Georgetown University Law Center,
he earned a Juris Doctor degree in
1972 and a Master of Laws degree in
taxation in 1976. He joined the New
Jersey law firm of McCarter &
English, LLP, in 1976 and became
a partner in 1982; his practice area
is federal taxation and employee
benefits, and he is a member of the
American Bar Association and New
Jersey Bar Association. He has also
taught at Seton Hall University Law
School and lectured and written
extensively.
Jack’s wife Toni teaches science at
Gill St. Bernard’s School, and their
son John graduated from Pingry in
1999. The combination of supporting
the school, living locally, being an
alumnus and, at the time, being the
parent of a student was among the
reasons that Bill asked Jack to join
the board.
“Jack had served on other non-profit
boards so he understood why it was
important to act in certain ways as a
non-profit trustee. His service since
then has borne out our feelings. He
is universally admired by people on
the board. He’s viewed as a very
thoughtful, intelligent, commonsense
person who cares deeply about
the school,” Bill says.
Ms. Brooks highlights the fact that
Jack had been a long-time alumni
trustee with broad experience. “He
Jack Brescher ’65
was always an excellent sounding
board for me,” she says.
The board of trustees provides
guidance for the school and helps
to ensure financial security. Jack
would like to increase the size of
Pingry’s endowment and increase
faculty benefits.
“Ultimately, I would love to see
Pingry be the school of choice for
every student in the state of New
Jersey because of the superior academic
programs, the nurturing
nature of the campus, and the extracurricular
activities. Beyond that,
it would be great if every qualified
student could attend, regardless of
financial need. That’s why financial
aid is an important component. I
think we want to have greater socioeconomic
diversity,” he says.
As an alumnus and the parent of an
alumnus, Jack feels that the Honor
Code is a unique aspect of Pingry
and an enriching part of the students’
experience. “There probably
aren’t many people who decide to
send their child to Pingry because of
the Honor Code; but most ultimately
find that it is a very important part
of the experience, and its lessons and
values remain with the students for
life,” he says.
Five New Members
of the Board of
Trustees
Five current Pingry parents
joined the board at the beginning
of the 2008-2009 school
year. “They bring a wealth
of experience, a breadth of
perspectives, and a heartfelt
passion for Pingry’s mission
to their work as members of
the board of trustees. We are
enormously grateful for their
extraordinary commitment
of time and expertise to the
important work of stewardship
that board membership
represents,” says Headmaster
Nat Conard.
Deborah Barker volunteers for
The Pingry Fund, and she and her
husband Randy have two children
attending Pingry—James is in Grade
5 and Lee is a freshman. Ms. Barker
has been a Trustee of her alma mater,
Bowdoin College, in Brunswick,
Maine, since 1999. She also is a
Trustee of Student/Partner Alliance
in Newark, N.J. and New Jersey
SEEDS (Scholars, Educators,
Deborah Barker