Betty Eckert Bajek

Betty Eckert Bajek always knew she wanted to be a teacher, and her career path enabled her to fulfill that goal, but not in the traditional way. The Stratford native, who graduated from Frank Scott Bunnell High School in 1970, found a way to educate others, albeit not in a typical classroom.

“Ever since third grade, I knew I wanted to be a teacher just like Mrs. Dickinson,” Bajek said. I decided to start college at Housatonic Community College (HCC), which opened its doors in 1967. After I got my associate degree, I wasn’t going to continue with my education; however, my parents encouraged me to continue. Because I was late in applying to WestConn, where one of my best friends was studying Library Science, I continued at HCC to accumulate more credits to transfer in as a second-semester junior in January 1973. (In October 1972 the rules changed for transfer students who were now required to complete two years of study and would transfer as a first-semester junior).”

During her first semester at Western Connecticut State University, Bajek commuted from Stratford with a friend who worked in Danbury. Then she moved onto the third floor of Litchfield Hall in August 1973. “I worked off campus at Worth’s Smiling Service as the dressing room attendant on the weekends. I was paying for my education,” she explained.

Even though it has been a *few* years, Bajek still has vivid memories of her professors. “Dr. Charlotte Isham taught Children’s Literature, and I loved her classes,” she recalled. “Maurice Sendak’s book, ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ was named the Caldecott award winner that year and she read it to us in class. Dr. Forbes taught the Child Psychology class, which gave me insight to the number of individual personalities I would be dealing with as an elementary teacher. I also took Dr. Truman Warner’s class to learn about Japan. It was fabulous and he even invited us all to his house to cook a traditional Japanese dinner. And then there was Dr. John Devine, who taught us how hard it is to teach reading. The class was Wednesday afternoons and he had a way of engaging every member of class in the discussions.”

Bajek said the major lesson she obtained from all of her professors was that everyone learns differently. “Some people are visual learners, some verbally, while others need to hear and see it as a whole. As a teacher, I needed to always take different learning methods into consideration. and customize it for my students.”

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education in January 1975, Bajek interviewed for teaching positions. “It was a tough market as it was flooded with teachers,” she said. “If I had nine of the qualifications a school board was looking for, someone had 10. I substituted for several months, but did not get a permanent position.” She was offered a contract to teach in New South Wales. “It was at a time that the orphanages were emptied out in the UK and the orphans sent to New South Wales. They would pay my way from San Diego to NSW and would pay the return if I stayed two years,” she said. “We were guaranteed housing and a salary.  When the first wave of teachers came back, some of them had horrible stories to tell — like living in an unfurnished apartment or teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in the bush country. I was a very ‘young’ 21-year-old and upon hearing this news, decided to cancel my contract. I think it’s the one thing I regret in my life. I wasn’t strong enough at the time to take the leap of faith and risk having an adventure.”

She may have missed out on this adventure, but it actually set her on a path away from classrooms and into industry, that provided other opportunities.

Without a teaching job lined up, Bajek said she ran into a friend who worked at a bakery and she helped her get a job keypunching, a skill they taught her. “The company sold frozen products to major grocery stores that baked and packaged them under their own brand. This started me on a career path in Information Technology. I expanded my knowledge to operating a mainframe computer and programming, and worked in several industries.”

Bajek continued, “At one point, I worked full time at a corporation and taught computer operations in the evening three nights a week. This became an established pattern for me … work in business and also teach … until I started a career in pharmaceuticals. It was at a time when corporations were moving off the mainframe and onto PCs. I worked in the IT department responsible for training. I was in a ‘department’ of one and employed consultants to assist me in rolling out the technology and major applications for email, word processing and spreadsheets to 3500 employees. When an opportunity became available in Customer Operations, I applied and was hired. I now had a staff of 22 people responsible for processing sales to wholesalers, chargebacks, rebates, and returning outdated products to be destroyed. But I didn’t stop there. A few years later I applied for a position to head up Medical Affairs Training, which was a global position. My first day in the department was 9/11. When my position moved to Germany, I was hired by a local pharma company and worked basically the same path from Medical Affairs to Quality Assurance, to Pharmacovigilance for another 10 years.”

Bajek said she had a very positive experience at WestConn. “I worked hard to achieve good grades and was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, the honor society in Education,” she said. “I made lasting friendships. As a matter of fact, I still get together every year with eight women who lived in the same section (3D) in the dorm. We’re celebrating over 50 years of friendship.”

Now that she is retired, Bajek said she has become the ‘ultimate volunteer’. “I chair the Greater Waterbury Transit District, am the president of the Friends of the Prospect Public Library (the fundraising arm of the library), and serve as the secretary of the Prospect Business Association,” she said. “I have been an AARP CT Outreach volunteer for 12 years and I present AARP’s programs such as the Fraud Watch Network, Disrupt Aging in Your Community, Livable Communities, and the Caregiving Roadshow at senior centers, churches, to Rotary Clubs, etc. I serve on the Water Pollution Control Authority, the Economic Development Commission, and the Sidewalk Task Force in my town. My high school class is having our 55th reunion at the end of October and I’m a member of the reunion committee and have been for 45 years. Most recently I started volunteering as an usher at Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury.”

Reminiscing, Bajek said she was in a campus theatre production called “Sing” where she sang “Bye Bye Birdie” in spring 1974. Her stage presence is something that has carried forward from her days at WestConn. “Last year I auditioned for the Golden Years Theater Company,” she said. This company was started two years ago for people over 60 who would like to be in a stage production. It doesn’t matter if you have talent to sing or dance, or if you walk with a cane, or sit in a wheelchair. If you audition, you’re in! I was Twin 2 in ‘Peter Pan,’ and yes the actors flew!” Next month, she’ll be trying out for a part in “Oliver!,” which will be presented the last two weekends in June at Crosby High School in Waterbury.

“I still use the skills I learned at WestConn today,” Bajek added. “In addition, that ‘regret’ fueled me to have confidence in myself and to apply for positions that were outside my comfort zone and had increased responsibility knowing I would do everything in my power to achieve success and be effective.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.