Published in the July 8, 2015 edition
The following was submitted by Kathy Uva, Susan Siebeking, Gail Shapiro, Sheila Robertson and Karen Swales.
WAKEFIELD — On Monday, June 29, a ceremony was held in front of the Dolbeare School to dedicate a granite bench in memory of our former colleague, Mrs. Jeanne Hudd. Jeanne was a dedicated and beloved third grade teacher for many years in the town of Wakefield, as well as a Reading Specialist and the Assistant Principal of the Dolbeare School, before her retirement two years ago. The Dolbeare Community was devastated by the loss of Mrs. Hudd in September 2014, after her long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Over the last 10 months the theme of “For the Love of Jeanne” was born. Several fundraisers were held and donations were accepted to raise the funds necessary to purchase a memorial granite bench in Jeanne’s honor. In addition, several books were purchased in memory of Jeanne’s travels around the world and her love of children’s literature. These books will be placed in the Dolbeare School library for children to enjoy for many years to come.
We would like to thank the “village” of people who helped us throughout this process. We would like to thank the entire Hudd Family for sharing Jeanne with us and supporting this project, Dr. Stephen Zrike (former Superintendent of Schools), Dolbeare Principal Dr. Maureen Hughes, the Wakefield School Committee, the Wakefield Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator Stephen Maio, Wakefield DPW Crew led by Dennis Fazio, Quinlan Memorials and the many contributors for helping us get this meaningful project completed.
Finally, a special thank you to Mrs. Jeanne Hudd for touching all of our hearts and instilling the love of reading to so many of our students.