Cheryl Goodridge, President
In 1998 when Fred Carr retired from teaching English at Hempstead High School, the former First Vice President of the Hempstead Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA) envisioned organizing a Hempstead Retiree Chapter. In 1999, with the support and assistance of David Keefe, President of the HCTA, Minnie Wheeler, President of the Teaching Assistants Association (HTAA) and other like-minded retirees, the vision of an active local retiree chapter came to fruition. Originally called Hempstead Teachers and Assistants Retiree Union, in a subsequent meeting the official name of the organization was changed to the Hempstead Educators Retiree Association (HERA). Today, HERA includes all Hempstead School District retirees.
Over the years, HERA members have donated thousands of dollars to fund scholarships for graduating Hempstead High seniors going on to attend accredited two and four-year colleges and universities. The Fall Scholarship Luncheon and raffle program have provided most of the funding for HERA scholarships. The scholarships are named in honor of Minnie Wheeler; she was the late iconic President of Hempstead Teaching Assistants Association and former member of NYSUT’s Board of Directors, whose dedication as a union advocate for her SRP members and the children of Hempstead School district was legendary.
If you are planning to retire, be sure to sign up for membership to HERA. You can reach Cheryl Goodridge in the HCTA office at (516) 279-6641 for more information.
