SELECT YEAR

2004

Patricia A. Beebe, Becky Duer, Cynthia Warke Green, Elizabeth Jeter Greene, Sister Patricia Prendergast, Helen Rathbun (posthumous), Dr. Beverly Vaughn

Patricia A. Beebe - Education

Born in Millville, NJ, Pat graduated from Millville High School and attended Douglass College where she majored in Pre-Medicine. During this time, she decided against a career in medicine and left school to decide where her career path might lie. While working, she continued her education at Temple, Rutgers and Glassboro. At the suggestion of a friend, she decided to try teaching and loved it. Her first job was as a Special Education teacher at Mt. Pleasant School. Pat received her BA in Elementary and Special Education at Glassboro State College (now Rowan) and graduated with honors.

Upon graduation, Pat took a position as a teacher with the Betty Bacharach Home, working with severely physically & mentally challenged children. While at Bacharach, she initiated many techniques and innovative methods for working with learning disabled and physically handicapped children. Always a music lover, Pat earned a Master of Arts degree & was instrumental in creating a music program for children. In 1975, Bacharach relocated to Pomona & Pat became the first ever Learning Disabilities Consultant for Bacharach.

Pat was appointed Chair of the Child Study Team, a position she presently holds at the Atlantic County High School, which is part of the Atlantic County Special Services School District.  Deceased

Becky Duer - Philanthropy

Born in Virginia, Becky holds an Associates Degree in human services from the University of Vermont. She is married to Atlantic City native, William Duer and is the mother of nine children.


Before moving to the Atlantic City area in 1989, she was the proprietor of a successful flower shop in Lyndonville, Vermont. In 1999, she and her business partner opened Art of Flowers, a floral shop on Ventnor Avenue and she is associated with the following floral related associations: Teleflora, FTD and SAF.


She is an active member of ten organizations and serves as a board member on several of these organizations, including Zonta of Atlantic City Area, Rotary Club of Atlantic City, Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, American Mothers, Inc., Metropolitan Business & Citizens Association, Chelsea Neighborhood Association, South Jersey Aids Alliance, Children’s Seashore House, Martin Wilson Art Center and MANNA.

Cynthia Warke Green - Social Services

A graduate of Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Cynthia holds a degree in Art and is currently the Executive Director of Child Federation of Atlantic City.

A longtime volunteer in the Miss America Organization, Cynthia has served as a hostess, Chair of the membership committee, and co-chair of the pageant information center. Green sits on the Board of Children’s Seashore House Auxiliary of Atlantic County and has served as President, Vice-President and Treasurer. She is a member of the Career Quest Retention & Advisory boards, Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition Executive Committee, Success by Six Advisory Council, Parent as Teacher Advisory Council, & the Atlantic City Kiwanis Club. She is the Atlantic County Human Services Advisory Council Chair of the subcommittee for Abused & Missing Children, & and former Commissioner on the Atlantic County Advisory Commission on Women.

Cynthia has received the Soroptimist International Club Award for ‘Women Helping Women Award’, The Maxine Hanemann Award for Outstanding Service and was the 2003 recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. award from the Atlantic County government. Deceased

 
 

Elizabeth Jeter Greene - Volunteerism

Elizabeth Jeter Greene is a registered nurse, and has served as supervisor of nursing services for Ancora State Hospital for 27 years. Jeter Greene is the founder of Housing Free TLX referral Clinic, which provides free health screenings. She is the Commissioner of the Pleasantville Housing Authority, administrator and founder of the Miss Pleasantville Pageant, and Chairperson and charter member of the American Cancer Society Community Task Force. Jeter Greene is a life member of the Atlantic City Medical Center Auxiliary, member of the Habitat for Humanity-Family Referral Committee, Treasurer Emeritus for the Democrat Club and founder of the Atlantic County Gems. She also currently serves on the Southern New Jersey Family Medical Center.


Elizabeth is the recipient of numerous honors, including The National Sojourner Truth Meritorious Service Award, Role Model Award ‘She’ magazine, AARP National Community Service Award & the BPW Addie Jones Service Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Services as a past president.


An active member of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville, Jeter Greene served for 15 years as chairman of the Trustee Board and is now Trustee Emeritus. – Retired.

Sister Patricia Prendergast - Social Services

Sister Pat’ first became interested in the plight of the homeless while working at Holy Spirit Parish. As a result, she and a group of parishioners began a soup kitchen in the Atlantic City Inlet area. Later, during her employment as a case manager for Jewish Family Service of Atlantic County, she continued to work with the homeless.


After many years of service with Jewish Family Service, Sister Pat joined the Atlantic City Rescue Mission where she directed the Single Women’s Ministry and worked with many of her former clients.


In a move to Covenant House of Atlantic City, she became Pastoral Minister. Sister felt a urgent call to minister to these vulnerable women, many of whom suffered from mental illness and still others who were victims of abuse. With the encouragement of the superiors of her order, the Daughters of the Heart of Mary, she began a feasibility study for a day program for homeless women in 1999. In August 2002, Adelaide’s Place opened in a temporary facility in Atlantic City. The philosophy of Adelaide’s Place can be found in Hebrews 13:2; ‘Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Helen Rathbun - Volunteerism (posthumous)

Originally from Pennsylvania, Helen lived and worked in Atlantic County for 75 years. During her 50 year tenure with Guarantee Bank & Trust, she became the first woman Vice President of a bank in Atlantic County and also served as a trust officer. Rathbun mentored many young women encouraging them to continue their education and expand their horizons.

An active member of Soroptimist International, she served as President and Treasurer of the Atlantic City club and went on to become Treasurer and Governor of the North Atlantic Region. Well into her 80’s, Helen served as Federation Treasurer of Soroptimist International, based in London. Through this service she was able to promote the vision of Soroptimist, which fosters equality & advancement for women and girls.

A life-long volunteer who devoted many years to volunteer organizations, Helen was also active in the National Association of Bank Women, Treasurer of the Women’s Auxiliary of Betty Bacharach Home and was active in the Miss America Organization. Her volunteerism and dedication benefited many women and children in Atlantic County before her demise in 1977, but she has left a legacy of volunteerism, civic duty and strong work ethic from which all may learn. – Deceased

 
 

Dr. Beverly Vaughn - Arts/Entertainment

Dr. Vaughn is a talented musician and singer who has thrilled audiences on three continents. An accomplished opera singer, Dr. Vaughn has performed the lead role in Carmen in Europe and has appeared as a soloist at the Vienna Festival of Music. She is also a gifted educator whose dedication and creativity has improved the lives of many young people and continues to contribute her time and effort for the benefit of all.


A native of Columbus, Ohio, Atlantic County has been Dr. Vaughn’s adopted community since becoming an Assistant Professor of Music at the Richard Stockton College in 1982. Now a full Professor, Dr. Vaughn, is also a conductor, having directed choirs, ensembles and other musical groups at Stockton and area churches, and youth and community groups since joining the community.


Both a teacher and historian, she is an authority on gospel music, Negro Spirituals, traditional American folk music, the lives and works of Beethoven, Mozart, and many other traditional classical masters. At Stockon Dr. Vaughn organized the Ebony Ensemble, and the Stockton Oratorical Society.


Dr. Vaughn has been the Minister of Music at St. James AME Church in Atlantic City for over 20 years and has conducted the choir for the North Atlantic Regional Conference of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

 
 

Special Recognition Award - Amanda Feldman

Amanda is a 16-year-old senior at Mainland Regional High School who has already made a mark through her volunteer efforts. She founded Peer Partners, a youth volunteer group dedicated to helping others. She is a board member of the Atlantic/Cumberland Chapter of the American Red Cross, Girl Scouts of South Jersey Pines, and African Seed, Inc.


Feldman was invited to visit Ghana West Africa to deliver educational supplies, and while there taught many children to read. She has adopted the school in Ghana and established a student award program and has provided seed money to help build a school library.


Currently serving on the State of New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services REBEL Youth Advisory Board, she is also a founding member of Ignite, a youth-led national tobacco control network. and also serves on the Youth Advisory Panel for the American Legacy Foundation. A talented writer, Feldman has published nine articles, which focus on volunteerism, and teen tobacco issues and is a reporter for Teen Newsweek.