Bert Mar Gymnasium Project
Donation protected
GILROY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Superintendent’s Office
7810 Arroyo Circle
Gilroy, California 95020
www.gusd.k12.ca.us
SUPERINTENDENT : Dr. Deborah A. Flores
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Heather Bass, Mark Good, Patricia Midtgaard, James E. Pace, Linda Piceno, Jaime Rosso, Fred M. Tovar
May 11, 2015
At the May 7, 2015 Board meeting, the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education unanimously voted to name the South Valley Middle School gymnasium building in honor of Bert Mar.
Dear Friend of Bert Mar;
Bert taught in GUSD for 30 years and coached wrestling for all but two of those years. He was head wrestling coach at South Valley Middle School for 25 years. His teams went undefeated for 30 years including time before he became head coach! He also coached track, soccer, flag football and served as Athletic Director.
Bert’s family were migrant farmworkers who came to California from Texas, eventually settled in Gilroy when Bert was in first grade. Bert attended Glen View, Eliot and Brownell schools. He graduated from Gilroy High in 1965.
Bert was a determined athlete. He wanted to play basketball when he was at Brownell Junior High, but his family couldn’t afford the gas to pick him up after practice. He assured them he’d get home on his own, and he did: running home, hitchhiking, or getting rides from others. During his junior year, Bert won the Northern California CIF Wrestling Championship, the first of many wrestling championships he would be part of. He was offered a full ride wrestling scholarship to Cal Poly, but circumstances didn’t allow that to happen. He went to the Army and later went to Gavilan College and San Jose State on the GI Bill.
We are very excited to be taking the next step to officially name the South Valley Middle School gym in honor of Bert. We are writing to members of the community asking that you consider making a donation for a plaque and for the lettering on the exterior wall of the building. Any donation amount will be greatly appreciated. The goal is $3,000. We would like to finish this project before the start of the next school year so the deadline for donations is June 30, 2015.
If you prefer to donate by check then make the check payable to the Gilroy Unified School District and note that the donation is for the Bert Mar facilities naming project. Send the check to Lucy Huerta, Business Services Administrative Assistant at the address in the letterhead above.
Gilroy Unified School District is an educational organization; any donation made to our schools is tax deductible according to the IRS. In compliance with the tax code, Internal Revenue Code Sections 170(a) and (b)(1)(A)(ii), Gilroy Unified School District is not a 501(c)3 or a charitable non-profit organization. The District, as a political subdivision of the State of California, is a government entity.
Thank you for your generosity and support.
Sincerely,
Deborah A. Flores, Ph. D
Superintendent
Superintendent’s Office
7810 Arroyo Circle
Gilroy, California 95020
www.gusd.k12.ca.us
SUPERINTENDENT : Dr. Deborah A. Flores
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Heather Bass, Mark Good, Patricia Midtgaard, James E. Pace, Linda Piceno, Jaime Rosso, Fred M. Tovar
May 11, 2015
At the May 7, 2015 Board meeting, the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education unanimously voted to name the South Valley Middle School gymnasium building in honor of Bert Mar.
Dear Friend of Bert Mar;
Bert taught in GUSD for 30 years and coached wrestling for all but two of those years. He was head wrestling coach at South Valley Middle School for 25 years. His teams went undefeated for 30 years including time before he became head coach! He also coached track, soccer, flag football and served as Athletic Director.
Bert’s family were migrant farmworkers who came to California from Texas, eventually settled in Gilroy when Bert was in first grade. Bert attended Glen View, Eliot and Brownell schools. He graduated from Gilroy High in 1965.
Bert was a determined athlete. He wanted to play basketball when he was at Brownell Junior High, but his family couldn’t afford the gas to pick him up after practice. He assured them he’d get home on his own, and he did: running home, hitchhiking, or getting rides from others. During his junior year, Bert won the Northern California CIF Wrestling Championship, the first of many wrestling championships he would be part of. He was offered a full ride wrestling scholarship to Cal Poly, but circumstances didn’t allow that to happen. He went to the Army and later went to Gavilan College and San Jose State on the GI Bill.
We are very excited to be taking the next step to officially name the South Valley Middle School gym in honor of Bert. We are writing to members of the community asking that you consider making a donation for a plaque and for the lettering on the exterior wall of the building. Any donation amount will be greatly appreciated. The goal is $3,000. We would like to finish this project before the start of the next school year so the deadline for donations is June 30, 2015.
If you prefer to donate by check then make the check payable to the Gilroy Unified School District and note that the donation is for the Bert Mar facilities naming project. Send the check to Lucy Huerta, Business Services Administrative Assistant at the address in the letterhead above.
Gilroy Unified School District is an educational organization; any donation made to our schools is tax deductible according to the IRS. In compliance with the tax code, Internal Revenue Code Sections 170(a) and (b)(1)(A)(ii), Gilroy Unified School District is not a 501(c)3 or a charitable non-profit organization. The District, as a political subdivision of the State of California, is a government entity.
Thank you for your generosity and support.
Sincerely,
Deborah A. Flores, Ph. D
Superintendent
Organizer
Jess Varela
Organizer
Gilroy, CA
