The Berks County Association of School Retirees has selected Bessie Reese Crenshaw as the BCASR 2007 Volunteer of the Year.   In 1950, Bessie was the first black graduate of Kutztown State Teachers College, now Kutztown University.  Bessie’s journey as an educator took her to an all black school in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina during the turbulent period of busing desegregation that took place in the sixties. Seventeen years later, she returned to her hometown to teach third grade in the Reading School District at the Tenth and Green Elementary School.

 

            Since retiring from teaching in 1989, Bessie has been a volunteer extraordinaire, being almost as busy as she was going to the classroom every day.

 

            For nearly a decade, she served as the archivist and curator at the Black Heritage Center, compiling information on African American culture and history and she remains a tireless member and supporter of the Zion Baptist Church, the institution that founded the Black Heritage Center.  

            For thirty-eight years, Bessie has been a member and volunteer of the Youth of Yesterday, Incorporated, an organization that raises money to provide college scholarships and textbooks to needy students.  Bessie provided leadership to the organization by giving service as president, vice president and secretary.

 

            The Charles Butler Friends of the Reading Hospital have been lucky to have Bessie Crenshaw as a volunteer.  This organization supports the hospital in a myriad of ways, from doing important paperwork to participating in fundraising activities.

 

            Ms. Crenshaw gave service as a member of the Kutztown University Alumni Board, helping to ensure that all students seeking to enter to the doors of the university would receive a fair chance, no matter their color or economic status.  She also was a member of the board of Family First, formerly known as the 55 Plus Club, an organization dedicated to keeping seniors active and informed.

 

            Always committed to education, Bessie has served as a tutor on the Literacy Council, exposing adults to the wonderful world of books and reading.  She also was a member of the Berks County Chapter NAACP’s Education Committee for four years, contributing to a number of educational forums and events.

 

             Bessie Reese Crenshaw is an exceptional woman who during this past year has volunteered her time, talent and energy for a total of 752 hours.  In every respect,

Bessie embodies the ideal upon which the Berks County Association of School Retirees is founded-------  that being a member of a community requires a commitment to making that community a better place in which to live, work and grow.  Bessie Reese Crenshaw has worked to enhance the lives of countless Berks County citizens, and through her volunteer service, she has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues and the appreciation of all those whose lives she has touched.