Ed Poreda finally gets his Lawrenceville School celebration
It’s all too easy to dismiss The Lawrenceville School as the home of rich kids sent there by their rich families who add nothing to fabric of the lives of people who make Lawrence — and all of the Greater Trenton area — their home.
But that’s cheap. It’s like looking at a ball and seeing a flat circle. Think about it for one second, and you’ll figure out the obvious: Human beings, human feelings, human foibles, human successes.
“People were coming in from everywhere,” Bill Ehret, class of 1967 (and Yardley resident) told me the other night. “People were flying in from England, from Texas, you name it. We all wanted to be there.”
The “we” in question was the cross country and track teams from 1967. The “there” was the annual reunion at The Lawrenceville School this past May. And why they all wanted to be there, why virtually every single surviving member of the team was making a point to show up?
Because their coach, Ed Poreda, was being inducted as an honorary member of the class of 1967. And also into the class of 1957. He had already been inducted into five other years. According to Ehret, this is not a normal thing, one coach — who didn’t even teach there, he just coached — getting this kind of treatment.
“Ed was a masterful coach, beloved by his athletes, whom he led by combining humor, discipline and understanding with hard work and dedication,” Ehret told me.
It was going to be a celebration for their coach, who, it should be noted, was 90 years old — and still coaching.
Yep. Poreda — born and raised in Trenton, a longtime science teacher at Junior 2 — still coached The Lawrenceville School’s cross country team after “retiring” as track and field coach in 1994. Poreda started coaching in 1954. I mean, the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn when Poreda started coaching. And he was coming back for more in May. First the induction, and then some cross country coaching.
“In 40 years as head track and field coach and 63 years as head cross country coach Ed led his teams to over 850 dual meet victories, 61 NJISAA championships and 25 undefeated seasons,” Ehret told me. “And he only ever missed two practices. Never missed a meet.”
So everything was in place. Ehret — who ended up working and coaching at The Lawrenceville School himself — kept in close contact with his old coach. He was set to host a pre-induction cocktail party for his team and Poreda. It was going to be joyous.
It wasn’t. It became tragic. Poreda, who split his time between Florida and New Jersey, died in a car accident near Richmond, Virginia on his way up to the reunion. He was in the passenger seat. Word quickly spread to Ehret and the rest of the members of the track and cross country teams from 1967. And 1957. And every year since 1954.
“It was quite a shock to find out what happened,” Ehret said. “It happened on a Monday night, we all knew by Tuesday morning.”
That weekend was the reunion, and the induction ceremony went on despite the death of the man they were honoring.
It was bittersweet, to say the least.
As a result, this Saturday, at 3 p.m., the celebration will finally take place, and Ehret wanted to help spread the word. Not only to Lawrenceville School alumni, but also to the Greater Trenton community at large.
“He had an impact on so many lives here at the school,” Ehret said. “I can only imagine the impact he had on so many other lives of the students he taught during the day at Junior 2.”
All who knew Poreda are invited to the celebration of his life at the Edith Chapel on campus at 3 p.m., with a reception immediately thereafter at the Bunn Library.
“He would be honored and humbled to realize the effect he had on so many people’s lives,” Ehret said. “He was always so optimistic, all the time. You’d ask him how he was doing, and every time he would say, very enthusiastically, ‘I feel great!’ His contagious optimism was an inspiration to everyone fortunate enough to be around him.”
I kid you not — after talking to Ehret, I felt like a better person for just hearing the story. Tragic, sure, but man — can you imagine being that well-liked and respected? Seems easy, now, after talking about it. Just be a good guy. Try hard. Inspire others. Lessons for us all, Lawrenceville School alumni or not.
“Ed was a masterful coach, beloved by his athletes, whom he led by combining humor, discipline and understanding with hard work and dedication.” — Bill Ehret, Lawrenceville School Class of 1967