Gordon Hoodak Receives Thun Award

Reading, PA (May 27, 2008) – Gordon G. Hoodak, principal of Lauer’s Park Elementary School was honored for a lifetime of civic service in Berks County this month at a private awards ceremony at the Berkshire Country Club. As the 2008 recipient of the Thun Award, Hoodak follows in the tradition of local leaders who have typified the ideals of brothers Louis R. and Ferdinand K. Thun.

Click here to watch a video about Gordon's accomplishments.

About the Award

The Thun Award, which is presented by Berks County Community Foundation and Wachovia Bank, was created in 1988 to honor the Thuns, who were Wyomissing industrialists and philanthropists. The annual award is presented to a Berks County resident who has made significant contributions of civic service, and who exhibits an enduring sense of commitment to the community.

Past recipients of the Thun Award are Gertrude Sternbergh (1989), Howard O. (Mike) Beaver (1990), Eugene L. Shirk (1991), Severin Fayerman (1992), Albert Boscov (1993), Paul and June Roedel (1994), Sidney and Barbara Kline, Jr. (1995) Samuel A. McCullough (1996), Dr. Charles A. Carabello (1997), John F. Horrigan, Jr. (1998), T. Jerome and Carolyn Holleran (1999), P. Michael Ehlerman (2000), Robert W. Cardy (2001), Thomas P. Handwerk (2003), Karen A. Rightmire (2004), David L. Thun (2005), DeLight E. Briedegam (2007). No awards were made in 2002 and 2006.

The Thun Award Grant

In 1996, Berks County Community Foundation established the Thun Award Fund from which the award winner makes a cash grant of $5,000 to a charitable organization of his or her choice. Hoodak selected Calvary United Methodist Church to receive the grant.

This Year’s Honoree

Gordon’s career in education began at the Reading School District in 1972 when he became a physical education teacher at 5^th & Spring Elementary School. He later taught at Glenside Elementary School before his assignment to Lauer’s Park Elementary School in 1977. Gordon would remain at Lauer’s Park for the next 31 years, becoming principal of the school in 1982.

Gordon completely transformed Lauer’s Park during his tenure there. An inner city school serving one of the poorest sections of Reading, Lauer’s Park was beset by violence, truancy, and failed expectations before Gordon undertook an extensive campaign to transform the school environment.

One step at a time, Gordon built relationships with students, parents, staff and the community. He instituted an honor roll, created innovative data-driven accountability measures, and brought in business leaders to share their wealth of knowledge and experience.

He partnered with local non-profit agencies to supplement classroom education, and obtained public and private funding to provide after-school, evening and summer enrichment programs for students and even established programs to help disadvantaged parents find employment.

Gordon not only transformed the grounds of Lauer’s Park Elementary School, he worked on the inside of the school as well, turning a hallway into an art gallery and the lobby into a café with a library in the corner.

As time went on, Gordon formed strong bonds with the community and inspired local leaders and politicians to dedicate resources and funding to the neighborhoods surrounding Lauer’s Park.

Under his guidance, Lauer’s Park Elementary School earned recognition as the first Title 1 school wide project in Berks County and was ultimately selected as a National Title 1 Distinguished School.

A true visionary, Gordon sought and received state and federal funding to build an elaborate urban garden on land adjacent to the school when class field trips to Nolde Forest became too expensive.

In 2005, he partnered with the Reading Phillies to help build a new baseball stadium on school grounds, replacing a deteriorating playground. Inspired, an anonymous donor underwrote a significant portion of the stadium’s cost with a simple request that the stadium be named in Gordon’s honor. The Gordon Hoodak Stadium held its grand opening in 2006 and the students of Lauer’s Park Elementary and the Olivet Boys and Girls Club’s RBI leagues had a state of the art youth ballpark.

Perhaps Gordon’s most profound accomplishment, however, was improving the education standards at Lauer’s Park over 26 years as principal. He held all educators, especially himself, accountable for the success of their teaching endeavors.

Gordon’s innovative methods, creative vision and life-long personal and professional commitment to educating Reading’s children are indicative of the qualities of Thun Award recipients.

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Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that serves as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing and distributing funds to meet existing and emerging community needs. The foundation currently manages $47 million in charitable assets, which provide more than $2.3 million in grants and scholarships annually for the region. For more information, log on to www.bccf.org or call 610.685.2223.