At the September Board meeting of 2023, the Trustees of the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation honored retiring Trustee Dr. J. Barton “Bart” Luedeke. Trustees thanked Dr. Luedeke for his twenty years of dedicated service to the Foundation. In recognition of his commitment to the goals and mission of the Foundation, Trustees approved a resolution detailing Dr. Luedeke’s dedicated service to the Foundation.

In addition, Trustees approved a resolution co-naming the J. Barton Luedeke – Charlotte W. Newcombe Endowed Scholarship for Mature Students, which is held at Rider University, where Dr. Luedeke served for many years. Dr. Luedeke came to Rider in 1971 as assistant to the president. Four years later, he was also appointed associate provost. He became dean of Continuing Studies in 1978 and, in 1983, became the vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. He was named Rider’s fifth president in July of 1990, and was president when the institution attained university status on April 13, 1994. Shortly before his retirement in 2003, Rider University’s student center was dedicated in his honor, and he now holds the title of President Emeritus.

During his tenure at the Newcombe Foundation, Bart was instrumental in expanding the Foundation’s Scholarship Programs and provided significant leadership in personnel development. He oversaw the hiring process for two Executive Directors, and he continued to serve as a mentor to them. His insights and unswerving commitment to the mission of the Foundation guided many programmatic, administrative, and fiscal policies.

The Trustees and Staff of the Foundation will miss his humor, generosity, and wisdom.