Anthony "Bob" Bescher
Born in West Hartford in 1928, Anthony ("Bob") Bescher was reared in New Haven and graduated from Hillhouse High School. After two years in business administration at Quinnipiac College, he enlisted in 1948 in the U.S. Marine Corps from which he received an honorable discharge in 1953, with the rank of Staff Sergeant. Returning to college, Bob received a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1957 and was immediately hired by the Branford School System to teach third grade at Pine Orchard School and later at Indian Neck. From 1960 to 1968, Bob was both a third-grade teacher and the teaching administrator at the Old Short Beach School, and from 1968 to 1970 taught sixth grade and served as supervising administrator at Stony Creek School, moving to Indian Neck and Pine Orchard Schools as teaching administrator from 1970 to 1976. During this same time, while both teaching and supervising, Bob was also pursuing a Master of Arts in supervision (Southern Connecticut State University, 1972) and completed a year toward a Doctor of Education degree at Nova University. Finally, 1976 saw him in a more permanent situation as head teacher at Brushy Plains School (now Mary T. Murphy), where, until his retirement in 1989, he also taught first, second, or third grade as the need dictated.
Being a full-time educator while studying for advanced degrees and, together with his wife Helen, rearing four daughters (Roberta Feerst, Barbara Bennitt, Susan Cowey, and Antoinette Burns) would be all most people could handle. But Bob Bescher is not most people! His outside community involvements were many and varied, including (but certainly not limited to) Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, American Legion, the Color Guard of the Stony Creek Fife and Drum Corps, the Oratorical Society for Boys State, Branford Community Theatre, and designing and building sets for the Petite Ballet.
Considering the extent of his involvement during his official professional career, needless to say, the word retirement means nothing to Bob Bescher. He continues to serve as Merit Badge Counselor for the local Girl Scout troops and in 1987 began the Flag Program in which he and Girl Scout leaders visit the elementary schools to promote proper respect and display of the American flag. Another of his scouting programs, also begun in 1987 and continuing to the present is the "Adopt a Cemetery Program," in which five Girl Scout troops assist veterans by placing flags on the graves of the one thousand deceased veterans buried in local cemeteries. Continuing his involvement with the American Legion, Bob has been a member of the Veterans Parade Committee since 1968 and during 1989-90 served as Commander of the Second District of the Connecticut American Legion. In 1998 he was the recipient of the Veteran of the Year Award presented by the Branford Elks Club. He also chaired the Branford Fireworks Program for seven years, including that of the town's 350th celebration, and served as president of the Branford Historical Society during 1998-99.
Despite having all of Branford as his classroom, Bob couldn't stay out of the schools for long and returned five years ago as an aide in Branford High School's Horizons (alternative education) Program. Here, in addition to his positive influence on the students, Bob has been a mentor to young teachers entering the program, sharing his extensive experience and expertise.
Always innovating and seeking opportunities to provide interaction between the classroom and the community, Bob collaborated last fall with teachers Salvatore Zarra and Richard Biondi to hold the first annual "Veterans Day with Students," which provides students the opportunity for first-person interviews with veterans from World War II to the present. One of his young colleagues in the Horizons Program says of Bob, "During this crucial time in my development as an educator, I have viewed Bob as a tremendous source of teaching knowledge. . . He has always brought an ample amount of class, knowledge, and integrity to his staff and students." Like the flags he so cherishes, "And long may he wave!"
Being a full-time educator while studying for advanced degrees and, together with his wife Helen, rearing four daughters (Roberta Feerst, Barbara Bennitt, Susan Cowey, and Antoinette Burns) would be all most people could handle. But Bob Bescher is not most people! His outside community involvements were many and varied, including (but certainly not limited to) Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, American Legion, the Color Guard of the Stony Creek Fife and Drum Corps, the Oratorical Society for Boys State, Branford Community Theatre, and designing and building sets for the Petite Ballet.
Considering the extent of his involvement during his official professional career, needless to say, the word retirement means nothing to Bob Bescher. He continues to serve as Merit Badge Counselor for the local Girl Scout troops and in 1987 began the Flag Program in which he and Girl Scout leaders visit the elementary schools to promote proper respect and display of the American flag. Another of his scouting programs, also begun in 1987 and continuing to the present is the "Adopt a Cemetery Program," in which five Girl Scout troops assist veterans by placing flags on the graves of the one thousand deceased veterans buried in local cemeteries. Continuing his involvement with the American Legion, Bob has been a member of the Veterans Parade Committee since 1968 and during 1989-90 served as Commander of the Second District of the Connecticut American Legion. In 1998 he was the recipient of the Veteran of the Year Award presented by the Branford Elks Club. He also chaired the Branford Fireworks Program for seven years, including that of the town's 350th celebration, and served as president of the Branford Historical Society during 1998-99.
Despite having all of Branford as his classroom, Bob couldn't stay out of the schools for long and returned five years ago as an aide in Branford High School's Horizons (alternative education) Program. Here, in addition to his positive influence on the students, Bob has been a mentor to young teachers entering the program, sharing his extensive experience and expertise.
Always innovating and seeking opportunities to provide interaction between the classroom and the community, Bob collaborated last fall with teachers Salvatore Zarra and Richard Biondi to hold the first annual "Veterans Day with Students," which provides students the opportunity for first-person interviews with veterans from World War II to the present. One of his young colleagues in the Horizons Program says of Bob, "During this crucial time in my development as an educator, I have viewed Bob as a tremendous source of teaching knowledge. . . He has always brought an ample amount of class, knowledge, and integrity to his staff and students." Like the flags he so cherishes, "And long may he wave!"