Alison Bjork & Tracy Bjork Thompson

Alison Bjork and Tracy Bjork Thompson established the Joan Bjork Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor their late parents. Joan and Richard Bjork met in 1952 and were married within the year. Joan was a high school teacher and Richard served in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserves prior to his appointment to the New Jersey Board of Higher Education as Vice Chancellor in 1968. He was assigned as the state liaison to the newly created state college in South Jersey. He helped the Board of Trustees select the site, name the college, and establish themselves, and then he served as the first president of Richard Stockton State. In their time at Stockton, Joan was the consummate first lady. She was known for her grace, elegance, charm and wit. She was well-loved by the faculty, staff and student body. In recognition of their many contributions to the lives they touched through their careers, friendships and charity, Richard and Joan’s daughters, Alison and Tracy, establish the Richard and Joan Bjork Memorial Scholarship Fund in their honor.