Murfreesboro City Schools honored Ted and Gloria LaRoche Friday night for their years of dedication to the Murfreesboro community and the arts in general.
“All the people of Rutherford county and Murfreesboro are blessed and anything we can do to help our community we want to do,” Ted said.
Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation held its second annual Excellence in Education Celebration, focusing on the arts with featured school Bradley Elementary, the system’s arts school.
“This year our primary focus is the arts in the schools and the LaRoches are at the forefront of leadership in this area,” explained Collier Smith, Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation trustee. “Gloria LaRoche is an officer on the Tennessee Arts Commission and they have been benefactors to every facet of arts in our community.”
The LaRoches have committed their lives to the betterment of education and the community in general through their giving and volunteerism.
“Gloria and Ted, a Murfreesboro product, were very active parents in the city school system and now that their children are grown, they continue to put their time and resources towards education and other areas of the community,” Smith said.
Ted has served as a county commissioner and is or has been a member of the Rutherford County Center for the Arts, the Discovery Center at Murfree Springs, and the Linebaugh Library Foundation, as well as being a founding trustee of the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation.
“Ted who is one of the founding trustees for the Foundation has helped in every facet of the organization's development,” Smith said.
Gloria is a past president of Murfreesboro Little Theatre and the Center for the Arts, along with her other charitable activities. She was also appointed to the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2004.
“She is an outstanding person,” her husband said.
Ted said he has tried to support the community over the years by fundraising, adding the real recognition should go to the City Schools Foundation for its work to promote arts and science in schools and address socio-economic issues.
“Every school doesn’t have the same socio-economic base,” he said. “(The foundation) allows schools to focus on students and teaching, irrespective of the school itself.”
The Excellence in Celebration benefited the City Schools Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization initiated in spring 2006 by civic and business leaders in support of Murfreesboro City School’s schools and schoolchildren.
“The LaRoches … are the perfect honorees for this year’s dinner celebration,” said Bubba Dempsey, Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation trustee and co-chairman for the second annual Excellence in Education Celebration. “As we emphasize the importance of service to our community, I can't think of more terrific role models for our school children.”
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.
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