BYRON WOODMAN

Named Fund Donor, The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle Janet Babb Memorial Scholarship
Former Trustee, The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle

Janet Babb was my aunt, my mother’s sister. The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle Janet Babb Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by the family, friends, former co-workers, and students of Janet Babb, after she retired from twenty-seven years of teaching business subjects at the high school. 

She had been an accomplished student at Boston University, where her father was the senior professor of the business school’s Accounting Department. When she graduated, opportunities being what they were for women at the time, she became an accomplished secretary, and worked at the law firm Hale & Dorr. After having her two daughters and later becoming a single mom, she worked more locally at Mitre Corporation. To better manage work/life balance, in 1959 she took a job teaching secretarial and business courses as well as personal typing at Concord High School, back when the school was still in the Emerson Building and before it became Concord-Carlisle High School.

I myself started at the high school as a freshman that same year. In those days, most of the students took personal typing. She was a fabulous instructor – always engaging and motivating students. As personal typing enrollment dwindled over the years, she went more into the business courses. She had increasing experience helping kids from broken homes and those with financial challenges. She gave counsel and support to kids who really needed it, and became a trusted mentor and a maternal figure to many. In fact, when I graduated in 1962, our class dedicated our yearbook to her out of appreciation, writing “To Mrs. Babb, for her loyalty and helpfulness to each of us, for her undying and selfless energies and patience… for the outgoing personality and sincere friendliness, for her answers to our problems and questions, and for her everlasting thoughtfulness, kind attentions, and sympathetic ear which we have so much appreciated and cherished.”

It was so much fun creating this named fund scholarship with The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle to honor Janet – both in honoring her, and seeing the community come together to honor a wonderful person and to help support young people in their educational quest. I think The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle has a far-reaching impact by sending a really important message of fostering educational support not only to the students, but also to the teachers in the community. It helps bolster their efforts and underscores the importance of their roles in shaping students’ lives for the future. A large proportion of The Scholarship Fund named fund scholarships honor teachers and their dedication to their careers. That has to have a positive impact on how both students and teachers view the significance of the hard work they each accomplish.

I was honored to be a Trustee of The Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle for some years. One of the things I liked best was participating in the process of interviewing student applicants. It was clearly evident how really hard-working and conscientious the students are, and they get a clear message that there is support out there for them.

I am always impressed that The Scholarship Fund is so effective at matching student applicants’ aspirations with the donors’ interest; for example, with the Janet Babb Scholarship, they match the scholarship to students who wish to study business. That has to be very satisfying to donors and very motivating to see their fields of interest being pursued. 

I have been very pleased to attend the annual donor brunches for The Scholarship Fund, in which the fund representatives have the opportunity to meet the students who benefit from their fund. Because the brunch occurs after the completion of their first semester, the students can speak about how meaningful their initial college experience has been for them. If captured over the years, those stories could fill volumes on how young people’s educational dreams have been made possible.

I continue to be motivated to help generate funds for these purposes. Once a Scholarship Fund of Concord and Carlisle Trustee, always a Trustee. It was such fun working with the other Trustees, seeing the enormous time and talent they bring so generously, their conscientious stewardship of the funds, and the impact the scholarships have had on students and teachers. It has all been very rewarding.