{"id":202539,"date":"2016-04-14T10:54:39","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T14:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=202539"},"modified":"2023-08-09T10:57:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T14:57:46","slug":"robert-h-hart-fellowship-notable-educators-legacy-to-impact-aspiring-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2016\/04\/robert-h-hart-fellowship-notable-educators-legacy-to-impact-aspiring-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert H. Hart Fellowship: Notable Educator\u2019s Legacy to Impact Aspiring Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"
UConn alum\u00a0Robert H. Hart \u201940 (CLAS) lived a life dedicated to his hometown of Meriden, Conn., including a 30-year career spent there as an educator. Hart, who passed away in April 2015 at the age of 96, will now be remembered at the Neag School through a student scholarship newly established in his name.<\/p>\n
From Math Teacher to Principal<\/strong><\/p>\n
Born in Meriden, Hart lived in a small house on Webster Street with his family; his father worked as a butcher. Given his family\u2019s limited resources, Hart, the youngest son, ended up being the only member of his family to go to college.<\/p>\n
He majored in chemistry at UConn and minored in math. A drum major for his high school band, Hart continued his love for music at UConn, where he also served as the drum major \u2014 one of the \u201chighlights of his career,\u201d according to one of his four children, Ronald P. Hart \u201977 (CLAS).<\/p>\n
Graduating in 1940, Hart was facing what was the end of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. Unable to find a position as a chemist at the time, he worked for a time as a math teacher in Willimantic, Conn., before joining the Army to serve in the chemical corps. He spent four year on active duty in India, working as a supplies officer. Luckily, his only responsibility as a chemical officer was defusing bombs at the war\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
After being discharged from the Army as a first lieutenant in 1946, Hart returned to Meriden to continue his career in education \u2014 spending the next 11 years as a math teacher at Meriden High School. A popular teacher and a favorite among his students, he was well known for the organization and clarity of his math lessons, and the very high standards to which he held himself and his students. Administrators at Meriden Public Schools saw this talent and next tapped Hart to serve as an assistant principal at the newly built Maloney High School.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe worked very hard to be disciplined and fair,\u201d says one of his sons, Ronald \u201cRon\u201d Hart, of his father\u2019s transition from math teacher to administrator at Maloney High School. \u201cHe expanded the scope of classes offered at Maloney, worked hard to enhance standards, and he oversaw a major addition to the building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife Mary Ann and I thought it\u00a0would be an ideal tribute to my father, his career, and his values to establish a fellowship in his name. Luckily, the Neag School offered an ideal program to benefit from this fellowship.\u201d \u2014 Ronald P. Hart \u201977 (CLAS)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Four years later, when the then-principal retired, the senior Hart was appointed to the post, one he would hold for the next 15 years. \u201cMany of the more difficult students told me that they liked my father as principal because he was fair and listened to their side of a situation before judging them,\u201d says Ronald.<\/p>\nPhoto Courtesy of Ronald Hart<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A Commitment to Education<\/strong><\/p>\n
As he pursued his career, Robert Hart was simultaneously focused on educating his family, putting four children through college. Robert had married the love of his life, Viola Gardinier Hart, in 1942. Together they had four children: Nancy Hart Tillberg\u00a0\u201968 (CLAS), Linda Hart Ruggeri, Robert Hart, and Ronald Hart. All four siblings had the same \u201cdeal\u201d with their father, Ron recalls: Their tuition, room, and board were covered; they had to pay for their books and spending money by saving money from summer jobs.<\/p>\n
The younger Hart was impressed with his father\u2019s dedication to making this happen. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to me now that I understand how hard this was to do,\u201d he says. \u201cI chose UConn partly because I knew it was a good college for me, but also because I respected the fact that my father was committed to paying for my education.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elder Hart put in for his retirement from the Meriden Schools on the same day he paid for his son\u2019s last UConn tuition bill. The younger Hart followed his own path in the field of education, going on to earn a doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, take on a postdoc position at Rockefeller University in New York City, and eventually start at Rutgers University\u2019s Newark campus as an assistant professor. Today, Ronald is at the Rutgers campus in Piscataway, N.J., where he is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, and director of the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey Stem Cell Program. He also serves as a governor-appointed member of the Connecticut Regenerative Medicine Advisory Committee, overseeing $10 million in funding for stem cell and regenerative medicine research in Connecticut.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the elder Hart had moved on to the next chapter in his life, becoming a successful real estate agent and active civic volunteer, serving as a leader for several community organizations while maintaining his Meriden roots.<\/p>\n
A Special Tribute<\/strong><\/p>\n
When his father passed away last year, the younger Hart came to appreciate his father\u2019s lifelong ability to save money while staying productive in retirement. Since the younger Hart strongly believed in his original \u201cdeal\u201d \u2014 that his inheritance was his college education \u2014 he wanted to do something more appropriate with his share of his father\u2019s last savings.<\/p>\nGabriella Benitez \u201915 (CLAS) , \u201916 MA, the first student recipient of the newly established Robert H. Hart Fellowship, plans on teaching in a Connecticut urban school district. (Photo Credit: Shawn Kornegay\/Neag School)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cMy wife Mary Ann and I thought it would be an ideal tribute to my father, his career, and his values to establish a fellowship in his name,\u201d says Ron. \u201cLuckily, the Neag School offered an ideal program to benefit from this fellowship.\u201d<\/p>\n
The late Robert Hart\u2019s legacy is coming full circle. Now officially established, the Robert H. Hart Fellowship will be awarded to its first recipient during the Neag School of Education\u2019s annual Honors Celebration this month. The scholarship is intended for current students enrolled in the Neag School\u2019s Integrated Bachelor\u2019s\/Master\u2019s Program and who demonstrate financial need, with priority consideration given to those who are from Meriden, are student teaching there, or have plans on working there after graduation.<\/p>\n
The first recipient of the scholarship, Gabriella Benitez, admires the late Mr. Hart\u2019s dedication to the Meriden school system and his interest in mathematics. \u201cI also plan to teach mathematics at the secondary level for many years to come,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Benitez plans on teaching in a Connecticut urban school district and aspires to become a teacher in order to impact students\u2019 lives and build confidence in their academic abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want students to find value in their education and thrive in a collaborative environment. In the secondary classroom, I want to help students develop their strengths, discover their passions, and pursue higher education,\u201d she says. \u201cI look forward to serving my future school community and following the path of an admired Connecticut educator and University of Connecticut graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/education.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1621\/2016\/04\/Robert-Hart-young-man-254x400.jpg\")
![\"Benitez\"](\"https:\/\/education.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1621\/2016\/04\/Gabriella-for-story-DSC_1785-315x400.jpg\")