TESU Announces $25,000 Endowed Scholarship Honoring Joseph and Barbara Punchello – TrentonDaily
The four daughters of Joseph and Barbara Punchello, including Thomas Edison State University (TESU) staff members Catharine A. and Juliette Punchello, Ed.D., have endowed a $25,000 student scholarship in honor of their parents.
The Joseph and Barbara Punchello Endowed Scholarship will support students currently pursuing or who have completed teacher training and can be used for any degree level at TESU. The scholarship was established by Catharine, vice provost and university registrar at TESU, and Juliette, senior director of Recruitment and Enrollment Management at TESU, and their sisters, Elaine C. Punchello and Valerie Punchello Hall.
“It is an honor to create this scholarship in our parents’ names,” concurred the siblings. “They were our first and most loving teachers. Beyond academics, they showed us that hard work and perseverance make anything possible.”
Joseph and Barbara Punchello devoted their lives to teaching and inspired countless students in Bucks County, Pa., and Mercer County, N.J. Joseph, who passed away in 2014, taught English at Bishop Conwell High School in Fairless Hills, Pa., and also worked for more than 25 years as a sports journalist for the “Bucks County Courier Times” in Levittown, Pa. Barbara, known to her students as “Madame Punchello,” taught French and Spanish for four decades at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pa. and Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, N.J.
“The Punchello family’s generosity exemplifies the best of what TESU stands for as a community,” noted Mary Heagley, vice president for Advancement and executive vice president of the TESU Foundation. “When our employees make philanthropic gifts in addition to their daily professional contributions, their support serves as a powerful endorsement of TESU’s mission and its students. This endowed scholarship is especially meaningful because it’s a testament to Joseph and Barbara’s belief in education and the values they’ve passed on to their daughters.”
Valerie Punchello Hall and her husband, Allen, are owners of Weather Guard Lightning Tech in Charlotte, N.C., and Elaine C. Punchello is a realtor at RE/MAX Total in Yardley, Pa.
To learn more about TESU’s student scholarship opportunities, visit tesu.edu/scholarships or contact the Office of Development at development@tesu.edu.
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