On days when Matthew O’Grady finds himself alone on Robbinsville High School’s football field, he kneels down in the end zone in front of the initials embedded in the field. There, in white letters encircled in red reads “SJM.”
O’Grady, president of the Robbinsville Board of Education, worked alongside former superintendent Dr. Steven J. Mayer for eight years, and over that time got to know Mayer as a colleague and a friend.
“Dedications and memorials are never easy to create,” O’Grady said to the crowd of more than 1,000 attendees at the Dr. Steven J. Mayer Athletic Complex dedication Sept. 10. “You find yourself wondering what would Steve have wanted? What are we trying to achieve? Is it too much? Is it too little?”
It’s been five months since Mayer’s tragic passing shocked the community. Mayer’s life ended abruptly on April 19 after being struck by a vehicle while jogging with his dog on Robbinsville-Edinburg Rd. The driver, a 17-year-old high student on her way to school, was later charged with second-degree death by auto.
In the immediate aftermath were tearful vigils and memorials, but there was a different tone last month as a parade of students and community members wound through the high school parking lot onto the athletic field to celebrate the dedication of the athletic complex and forever cement the legacy of the late superintendent.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and by noon, the bleachers were filled and a crowd of students, colleagues, and friends of Mayer’s gathered in front of the stage below the press box on the field. Many of the attendees wore white T-shirts with the words “we are because he was” on the back.
“Steve taught us that when you see each person and the world with eyes of love, you create opportunities for hope and development and appreciation for our human connectedness,” said acting superintendent Dr. Kathleen Foster, as she addressed the crowd. “It takes a conscious effort to live a life of love, but look how one man’s love compelled all of us to come together as schools in the community and here today.”
Mayor David Fried took the stage and recalled how at similar events, he and Mayer would jokingly introduce each other as the “other Mayor” or “other Mayer.”
“And then he became a doctor, and he would introduce me as the regular mayor,” he said as the crowd laughed.
In the weeks following Mayer’s death, individuals reached out to Fried and the school board with ideas on how to memorialize Mayer’s life and cement his legacy not only for his tenure with the school district, but as a beloved member of the Robbinsville community.
“When I came here today, members of the press were asking why did I think this was fitting,” Fried said regarding the dedication of the field in Mayer’s name. “I am going to borrow the worlds of his son. Because I was a fan. And looking out here today with all of you, I know all of you were fans, too.”
Mayer was a fan himself, and not only of Robbinsville athletic teams. He was a fan of his wife and three sons, he was a fan of his students, and a fan of God. He was a devoted member of Princeton Alliance Church in Plainsboro, where he occasionally preached. He led mission trips to Brazil with Hope Unlimited and was on the board of directors for Deerfoot Lodge, a Christian wilderness camp for boys in New York’s Adirondack region.
After students from the Sharon School recited the school pledge, four new plaques were unveiled to be mounted at the entrance of each school in the district, as well as in the board of education office.
“We know that the heart of school is our kids, and Steve would be present in every single building,” Foster said. “So not only did we want to dedicate the athletic complex today, but also honor him at each school where he was each day.”
On each plaque is a large picture of Mayer along with “make someone’s day today,” the same words his son Shaun recalled his father saying to him every morning before he went to school. It’s a phrase his colleagues say Mayer lived up to each day he came into work.
“Like Steve, this dedication is far bigger than what it appears to be,” O’Grady said to the audience. “This remembrance will ensure that his impact on the schools and the community will never be forgotten by those privileged enough to know him.”
Billy Joel’s “This Is the Time to Remember” was played over the speakers as the signs on the press box and scoreboard were unveiled, “Dr. Steven J. Mayer Athletic Complex.”
As friends and colleagues hugged and exchanged handshakes, family members wiped the tears from their eyes. Slowly, the bleachers emptied and lines formed at the food trucks parked to the side of the field. A hula hoop competition started as music blared and kids ran across the newly laid turf.
O’Grady explained that the turf and track replacement was one of the last big projects Mayer was working on.
“He loved to be outside, he was a big sports fan,” O’Grady said. “We felt like this was appropriate.”
As the school year starts anew, O’Grady admits it’s tough beginning the semester without Mayer. Though he says Foster is doing an excellent job, Mayer’s death is still surreal to him.
“I literally think of Steve everyday,” O’Grady said. “I don’t know that this is ever going to get real to me.”
Sharon DeVito, a Board of Education member and treasurer of the Robbinsville Education Foundation, led the complex’s dedication committee. She planned the event with the help of the PTA, PTSA, school board, administrators and the Robbinsville Education Foundation. Planning the dedication started in June, she said.
DeVito first met Mayer as part of the interview team who hired him. She was impressed by his knowledge of education and curriculum, his enthusiasm, but most memorable was his smile.
“He had the best smile in the whole world,” she said. “His smile was engaging.”
During his tenure, Mayer exceeded all of her expectations, DeVito said.
“If I had a son, I would want him to grow up to be just like Steve,” DeVito said, wearing a white “we are because he was” T-shirt.
The final addition to the complex will be a fieldhouse to house the school sports teams, O’Grady said. He says he wishes Mayer could be here to see the completion of the athletic complex.
“There’s a lot of things I wish that Steve could still see,” O’Grady said. “I’m sure he still does from his vantage point.”
A thousand supporters turned out to Robbinsville High School to honor the late school superintendent Steve Mayer Sept. 10, 2016, many of them wearing shirts saying “We are because he was.”,
A sign with Mayer’s name is unveiled on the press box. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.),
