Members You Need to Meet
Tom and Carol Kerr
May, 2011
Tom and Carol Kerr fell for the small town allure of Punta Gorda back in the ‘80s and decided it fit nicely into their retirement plans. Well, at least Carol’s. “In 2005, we put on shorts and flip-flops and NEVER looked back!” she said. “Carol had on the shorts and flip flops. I worked five more years running Campus Group International Education Services,” Tom chuckled.
Carol grew up in Hillside, NJ. She had a “typical suburban upbringing,” loved visiting NYC for shopping, and spending summers at the Jersey Shore. But the summer of 1967 and the Newark riots changed all that. “Tanks and soldiers on every corner MLK was assassinated, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, Viet Nam war protests,” Carol recalled. She ended up enrolling in quiet, rural Trenton State College, “against my wishes,” but finally transferred to Northeastern University in bustling Boston where she felt right at home. She received a BS in Speech-Language Pathology, later an M.Ed.
Tom grew up in Greenlawn, LI, where his mother, after his father’s untimely death, operated Kerr’s Inn. The family later relocated to Hampton Bays, LI. Tom graduated high school there and entered Northeastern University on a baseball scholarship. He also played semi-pro ball, but baseball would not be his chosen career. A sports enthusiast, Tom ran three marathons; two in New York and one in Boston. “My running partner and good friend was Jim Calhoun, basketball coach for UCONN, the 2011 National NCAA Basketball Champions!”
It was during a work-study job in the Admissions Office at Northeastern that Carol met Tom. They married three years later. While Tom worked on his Ph.D in higher education administration at Boston College, Carol started her career as a speech-language pathologist. At the same time, they owned and operated the Boar’s Head Tavern. Tom’s college job at the Bull Finch Pub, the original “Cheers” bar, was perfect training for that.
Tom worked as Assistant Dean in the School of Engineering at Northeastern, then Dean of Engineering at Boston University before relocating to NJ to take the position of Associate Provost at Rowan University where he also coached basketball. Carol continued her career in speech pathology. She also assisted in the of new programs address the needs of special ed students being mainstreamed into public schools. She won awards for innovative programs.
After working at Drexel University and Fairleigh Dickinson, in 2002 he joined Campus Group International Education Services, an Australian company, as CEO. His specialty is recruitment of students and making money for universities in non-traditional ways.
His knowledge and connections to the academic world have benefitted Punta Gorda. As chair of TEAM Punta Gorda’s higher education committee, Tom brought in AIC, who offered $10,000 scholarships to students in Charlotte County to train at the MA location until the local campus could get up and running. Unfortunately, the downturn in the economy cancelled the deal. Besides higher education, Tom worked on TPG’s economic development committee, was VP of the Board, and currently serves as President.
They are members of PGICA, and Seafarers. Together they volunteer to run special events for the Animal Welfare League. They belong to St. Andrews South Golf Club where Carol served on the Board, the membership committee, and was chair of the social committee, using her creativity and planning to launch very successful club events. She volunteered at Sallie Jones Elementary School and currently serves on the Visual Arts Center Endowment Trust Board.
Somehow Tom and Carol fit travel into their busy schedule. “Italy remains a favorite place to visit as often as possible of the art, antiquities, food and wine. And then there's Australia! Our recent trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe was the most unbelievable experience, one we never dreamed we’d have,” Carol offered. As I write this, they are again enjoying a trip to Italy and surely some of that great wine.
Is there someone you’d like to see featured in this column? Send their name to jbrentano@mindspring.com