Pioneer recognized by council
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| By: Lauren
Burgoon , Staff Writer |
02/27/2004 |
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East Windsor Township honors the
tireless volunteer efforts of Twin Rivers resident Liston
Abbott.
EAST WINDSOR — If there is a
community project or volunteer opportunity in Hightstown or
East Windsor, chances are Liston Abbott is involved somehow.
Not that the self-proclaimed modest activist would ever let on
to that.
Though Mr. Abbott, who is this
year's township honoree for Black History Month, is reluctant
to toot his own horn, his many admirers who are grateful for
his tireless work are quick to point out his extensive
connections to area causes.
Mr. Abbott's
involvement in community groups began at the height of the
civil rights movement in the late 1960s. Race relations in the
area were tense and, according to Mr. Abbott's colleague
Bettie Witherspoon, violence and cross burnings were regular
incidents in the township and borough.
A
group of citizens, including Mr. Abbott, who were interested
in initiating a dialogue between the two sides joined the
Hightstown/East Windsor Human Relations
Council.
"He help set a model for
understanding," Ms. Witherspoon said. "It was an eventful time
and he helped bridge the gap during a time when both sides
were angry and prone to violence."
His
work, which spanned several years, helped curb unrest in the
towns and create what has become one of Mr. Abbott's longest
lasting projects, Better Beginnings. The nonprofit
organization was founded to provide day care and early
education to area children whose parents otherwise might not
be able to afford child care. Mr. Abbott became a member of
the board of directors in the 1971 and rose to the office of
chairman of the board three years later. He has held the
volunteer position since then.
As
chairman, Mr. Abbott is responsible for overseeing the
operation of Better Beginnings. His touch reaches almost every
facet of the center, from creating computer software programs
to managing the finances to running monthly board meetings.
His work often keeps him at the center in Hightstown late into
the night.
"Better Beginnings is blessed
to have him," Emeritus Director of Better Beginnings Ms.
Witherspoon said. "He has a lot of skills, talents and
expertise that he shares with us."
She
said Mr. Abbott, 66, of Twin Rivers, never seeks recognition
for himself but he deserves a lot of praise for his
work.
"He is one of the most caring,
giving people I have the pleasure to know," said Ms.
Witherspoon, whose writing appears in a column called "Penny
Patter" in the Windsor-Hights Herald. "It's very lucky that we
are one of his primary concerns."
Between
his duties for Better Beginnings, Mr. Abbott also works with
two mentoring programs in New Jersey that encourage high
school students to pursue careers in engineering. He mentors
students in six area high schools and in November expanded his
reach to Camden.
"Over my career I've
done a lot of mentoring programs. I've been involved in going
to schools to talk about careers," he
said.
Mr. Abbott's interest in promoting
engineering comes from his own childhood interest in science.
Growing up on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Mr. Abbott's
tinkering in the sciences led to several first-place ribbons
at science fairs and an after-school radio repair business
during his high school years.
"At one
point I was the only one in my house with electricity," he
said. "I used to run my own wiring and flashlight bulbs to my
room" which was a space underneath a bed in his family's home.
Mr. Abbott said he read science books at night by the faint
light he created.
When Mr. Abbott came to
the mainland to study at the City University of New York he
brought his love of science and the love of his life. His
wife, Joyce, joined him and they married in New York 40 years
ago. The couple have a son, Wayne, also an electrical
engineer.
"We have known each other since
we were 5-year-olds," Mr. Abbott said of his wife. "We had
every class together as children."
While
working toward a degree in electrical engineering, Mr. Abbott
worked as a researcher at RCA in New York. Later his work with
the Sarnoff Corp. brought him to East Windsor in 1968.
Throughout his career, Mr. Abbott secured seven patents for
inventions in satellite communication and television piracy
research. One of his most prominent projects was the creation
of equipment for NASA to keep television signals from
interfering with computer data being sent to Houston from
space shuttles.
"It's one of my favorite
projects," Mr. Abbott said. "I use it to show the students I
mentor that you can really make a
difference."
Mr. Abbott officially
retired from 44 years of electrical engineering in 2000 but
his work in the community has only increased since then. Mr.
Abbott remains active in several organizations, including
United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County. He
recently became a member of the board of directors of the
Research and Technology Park of the University of the Virgin
Islands.
"We're working to convince
companies not to go overseas with their business. They can
come to the Virgin Islands and still work under the American
flag," he said.
Mr. Abbott's history of
volunteerism led to an award from East Windsor Township
earlier this month. On Committeeman Walter Daniels Jr.'s
recommendation, the committee presented Mr. Abbott with a
proclamation to honor his work for Black History Month. The
proclamation had to be printed in tiny type to fit Mr.
Abbott's many activities on one sheet. In part it cited his
"keen intelligence and unveeringly positive approach" to his
work in the community.
"I called Mr.
Daniels and said 'Why are you doing this?'" Mr. Abbott quipped
when he was presented with the
proclamation.
Mr. Daniels laughed and
said he was afraid the modest Mr. Abbott was calling to refuse
the honor.
If Mr. Abbott has his way, any
future proclamation will have to fit even more activities on
it. Although he is several years into retirement, Mr. Abbott
does not envision his community involvement waning any time
soon.
"My philosophy is always that one
should give back as much as one can to the entire community,"
he said.
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