By Donald Gilpin

Dave Mackey (Photo courtesy of Hopewell Museum)

The 101: Fund, which for more than 50 years has been providing need-based college scholarships to Princeton High School (PHS) graduates, recently received a bequest of $110,000 from the estate of Princeton Public Schools (PPS) art teacher Dave Mackey, who died at age 89 in May 2023.

Mackey and his wife Becky, a PHS physical education teacher and coach who died in 2000, are well remembered by many PHS graduates and repeatedly described as two of PHS’s most beloved teachers.

“The 101: Fund is incredibly honored and thankful to receive this generous gift from and in memory of Dave and Becky Mackey,” said 101 President Anthony Klockenbrink. “Becky was a previous board member of 101. The gift will enable the 101 to support more PHS students and to support more meaningful scholarships going forward. It is also our hope to establish a named scholarship in their memory.”

PHS 1989 graduate and current 101 board member Linda Noel recalled the Mackeys as teachers and warmhearted adults at PHS. “Both were dedicated to creating a positive and welcoming environment,” she wrote in an email. “There was room for everyone in Mr. Mackey’s art studio: students with great talent as well as less experienced students. Often, even students not enrolled in art classes would come and spend their free period talking to Mr. Mackey and making art.”

In addition to being in Dave Mackey’s class, Noel was also on soccer and track teams coached by Becky Mackey. “Similarly, Becky was a coach who encouraged and supported athletes of all abilities,” said Noel. “As the girls’ soccer and track coach she made sure everyone found a place on the team.”

Jeff Lucker, who taught history at PHS for 53 years before his retirement last year, was a colleague of the Mackeys for many of those years. “Dave was an art teacher, but he was a lot more,” said Lucker. “The art room at PHS became a drop-in center for students during their free periods. Dave endeared himself to his students because he was a consummate storyteller. He was also a good listener, and many students who felt alienated from the traditional school teachers felt comfortable with Dave because he was non-judgmental. His talents enabled him to become a mentor in the peer group at PHS.”

PHS 1985 graduate Maud Mandel, who is now president of Williams College, emphasized the impact that Mackey had on her and many other students. “Dave Mackey was a beloved teacher and mentor to hundreds of students in the Princeton Public School system,” she wrote in an email. “Personally, I benefited from his open door, encouraging, warm approach to education, and terrific sense of humor, both when I was in grade school and, again, when I was in high school. He left a positive, enduring mark on more students than I can count.”

Adam Bierman, currently a member of the Princeton Board of Education, knew the Mackeys well as a family friend. “David Mackey, a beloved art teacher for 33 years in the Princeton Public Schools, was more than just an educator,” said Bierman. “Known for his infectious laughter, captivating storytelling, and passion for art, Mackey created a classroom environment that felt like a second home to his students.”

Bierman continued, “With a knack for sparking curiosity and excitement, he often announced upcoming art projects with the enthusiasm of a train conductor. His nurturing personality made every student feel valued and cared for, as if they were his own children.”

Lucker noted that Dave and Becky Mackey “never had children of their own, but in a way they ended up parenting the thousands of students they taught in their careers.”

In 1986 Mackey received the Art Educators of New Jersey “Outstanding Art Educator Award” and a life membership, according to his June 7, 2023 Town Topics obituary.

He was also a train enthusiast and a collector of railroad memorabilia. He served as president of the New Hope Steam Trains Foundation for two years and occasionally worked for the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Hopewell Museum and served as their president. In retirement he kept up his interest in art education as a docent for the Princeton University Art Museum.