Atlantic County Women’s Hall of Fame 2007 honorees

Linnea Brown, Medical/Health/Science
Linnea Brown was born in Woodbury and raised in upstate New York.  She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Eastern College, St. Davids, Pa.  In 1990, Brown graduated from Atlantic Community College with an associate’s degree in nursing.  During her 17 years of employment at AtlantiCare, she has served as an oncology staff coordinator.  She earned certifications in oncology nursing, bereavement facilitator and breast health specialist.  Brown was a finalist for the New Jersey Nursing Excellence Award and in 2005 received the AtlantiCare Spirit of Women Award for Healthcare Professional.
As breast health coordinator, Brown serves as a navigator, educator, advocate, and “cheerleader” for women with breast health concerns.  She facilitates the AtlantiCare Breast Cancer Support Group and presents educational programs throughout the community.  She organized team support for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Princeton, and the Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Assistance Fund Mother’s Day Race, Atlantic City.  She has served on the board of the Absecon Nursery School, Port Republic City Council, RNS Cancer and Heart Fund Board of Directors and the Susan G. Komen Central and South Jersey Affiliate Educational Committee.  She currently volunteers on the Gilda’s Club Medical Resource Committee, Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Assistance Fund Committee, Atlantic County Healthy Living Coalition and is a parish nurse at the Central United Methodist Church, Linwood.  Brown also has participated with several “work teams” to Appalachia and Smolensk, Russia.
Brown and her husband, Jay, reside in Port Republic.  They have four children.
Brown states, “I am forever grateful to the oncology patients over the years who shared with me their joys, frustrations and fears of living with cancer.  They have unselfishly given so much of themselves that I might not only be a better nurse but, hopefully, a better person.”
 

Patricia Capaldi, Social Services/Volunteerism
Patricia Newell Capaldi was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Rochester, N.Y. and Kansas City, Mo.  After moving to Ventnor and graduating from Holy Spirit High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stockton State College (now the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey).
Capaldi has been active in many organizations including the Atlantic City Day Nursery, serving three years as president of the board of directors; 12 years in the Charity League of Atlantic County and co-chair (2005) and chair (2006) of the Stainton Society – the annual fund-raising vehicle for Shore Memorial Hospital.  For the last five years, Capaldi served as a board member of the Hero Campaign, raising awareness on the importance of designated drivers.  She is a past chairman of the Noyes Museum of Art’s fund-raising committee and participated in the Manna Program of Atlantic County. 
Capaldi lives in Linwood with her husband, Bernard. They have three children and five grand children
 

Anne Neustadter, Humanities/Philanthropy
Anne Goldberg Neustadter was born and raised in Margate.  She attended Atlantic City Friends School and graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor of arts in criminology. 
From a very young age, Goldberg Neustadter’s family instilled in her the importance of giving back to the community.  Inspired by ACWHF past inductee Rose Newman and her vision of aiding her ailing fellow man, Goldberg Neustadter channeled her energy into helping those in need. 
She was the donations chair for the RNS Cancer and Heart Fund for more than 20 years where she handled all of the tributes, the Tree of Life at the Atlantic City and Mainland Divisions of Atlantic City Medical Center and the River of Life at the Shore Memorial Hospital’s Cancer Center.  She also served on the board of Seashore Gardens and as co-chair of the Women’s Division of the Federation of Jewish Agencies.
Goldberg Neustadter has received the Woman of Valor Award, the Hometown Heroes Award and the Katherine Tongue Carnation Award.  Goldberg Neustadter devotes her time to the Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Assistance Fund.  Shirley Mae was founded by Goldberg Neustadter brother, Roy Goldberg, and named in honor of their mother who is a breast cancer survivor.  The fund seeks to offer assistance for the unanticipated medical, emotional and financial burdens associated with battling breast cancer.  Along with her volunteerism, Goldberg Neustadter is devoted to her husband Michael, and their three children
Goldberg Neustadter says, “I have always felt that time is the most valuable gift I could offer and there are never enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do.  Volunteerism has been truly rewarding – not only has it allowed me to help those less fortunate, but it has afforded me the opportunity to meet so many inspirational people that have the same goals and desires as I do.”
 

Joan Pesce, Social Services/Volunteerism
Joan Pesce was born and raised in Ventnor. New Jersey.  She graduated from Ventnor Public Schools and Atlantic City High School and received her nursing degree from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Her first nursing job was at the Atlantic City Medical Center as a floor nurse.  She then moved onto her true love, which was Children’s Seashore House in Atlantic City.  Her time there wasn’t a “job”.  She spent countless hours of her own time accompanying the children to outside activities and enriching their lives.  She finished her nursing career as a substitute school nurse and an adult rehabilitation nurse at Bacharach Institute for Rehabilitation.
As she sought to enrich the lives of the patients, Pesce also made sure that her own children’s lives were enriched as well.  This was her way of teaching about diversity, debunking the mystery and myths of children afflicted with birth defects or injuries and teaching youth about lending a hand to those in need.  She was actively involved in her children’s school organizations.  She continued supporting ACHS Band Boosters long after her own children had graduated.
Pesce is involved with numerous civic organizations including the Women’s Research Club, the ARC of Atlantic County, the Atlantic County Women’s Center, Soroptimist International of Atlantic City, and the Atlantic City Women of the Moose Lodge. Her longest and most notable contribution of volunteerism chronicles more than 55 years of involvement with the New Jersey Federation of Women’s Clubs.  Her initial membership began at the age of 16 and continues through the present day.  She has served at the local and state levels.  She has returned to the local level as president of the Women’s Club of Atlantic City.  This is her love and greatest volunteer activity – just ask her and she will be happy to tell you about the organization.
Pesce and her husband, John, have five children and five grandchildren.
Pesce’s favorite quote is:  “It is not our abilities that measure our worth; it is what we do with those abilities that counts.” 
She states, “There is nothing so satisfying and gratifying as helping another human being.”
 

Ann Szapor, Medical/Health/Science
Born in St. Louis, Mo., Szapor was raised on Long Beach Island.  She received her bachelor of science in nursing from Villanova University in 1983 and her master’s in business administration from St. Joseph’s University in 2001.
Szapor began her professional career in 1983 at Community Medical Center in Toms River as an oncology nurse.  Her journey at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center began as a labor and delivery nurse.  She has held various management positions at AtlantiCare in maternal-newborn services and women’s health. 
She is currently the corporate director of AtlantiCare Women’s Health and Wellness.  She is responsible for operations and strategic planning for all maternal-newborn, women’s and breast health services at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.  In this position, Szapor has led the planning and design development of a new Center for Childbirth and a Comprehensive Women’s Center.
Szapor has dedicated her career to improving the health status of women and their families in Atlantic County.  She is a commissioner on the Atlantic County Advisory Commission on Women.  She serves on the executive board of Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies of Atlantic City, the board of directors of the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative and was the 2006 co-chair of the AtlantiCare United Way Campaign. 
She resides in Egg Harbor Township with her husband Larry and four sons.
Favorite quote: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
 
Bernadette Strecker, Social Services/Volunteerism
Bernadette Strecker was born and raised in Philadelphia and attended Saint Martin of Tours grade school in Northeast Philadelphia.  After graduating from Little Flower High School, she attended Atlantic Cape Community College. 
Her family moved to Margate where she worked with her mother at the Sunset Bay Motel.  She entered several local pageants at the persuasion of her sister Dorothy.  In 1967 she was crowned Miss Atlantic City Jaycee and then won a scholarship to the Marie McCullough School of Modeling.  She worked as a professional model at conventions in Philadelphia, New York and the Atlantic City area.
She met her husband, John, in Margate, married and moved to Absecon where she has resided for 36 years.  They raised three children and now have nine grandchildren.
Her 34-year journey in the world of volunteerism began with the Mainland Jaycee-ettes where she served for 10 years, with two of those years as president.  She received the “New Jersey Key Women #192 Award” for service of excellence.  She assisted at PTO’s, as Girl and Boy Scout leader and in the Holy Spirit Mother’s Guild where she served as president and spearheaded the membership drive, Christmas craft show and pre-prom fashion show, all of which still exist today.
Strecker has volunteered with: the Special Olympics, the LPGA ShopRite Classic, the RNS, Skate America, the Miss America Pageant (food and beverage co-chair 18 years), the Charity League, the Atlantic City Day Nursery, the Atlantic County Crime Stoppers and the Atlantic City Medical Center Gift Shop.  But of all her volunteering activities, her favorite is babysitting her nine grandchildren.
Her motto is, “You get more with giving than receiving.”  In her words, “Volunteering has afforded me the opportunity meet people from all walks of life.”
 
Lucille Russo-Marranzini, Arts/Entertainment, Posthumous
Lucille Russo-Marranzini was an Atlantic City phenomenon for many years. Russo-Marranzini was born into a show business family and the consummate professional entertainer.
She performed in musical theater, hosted an Italian-American radio program in Philadelphia and Atlantic City,  was a regular entertainer at the Senator and Ritz Carlton hotels in Atlantic City, and she appeared on the “Ernie Kovacs Show”. 
 “Aunt Lucy” originated the Boardwalk Star Review in 1954. She decided to forsake her career and concentrate on children in the arts.  She encouraged all children to develop their artistic talents. 
The Boardwalk Star Review opened doors to stardom for many children.  Many of the child performers went on to professional careers in acting, singing and dancing.  The Lucille Russo Theater on Garden Pier was named in her honor. 
Throughout the years, Russo-Marranzini devoted herself to children, the arts, and her community.  She was a regular on the Atlantic City March of Dimes telethon.  In addition to auditioning and coaching hundreds of young people, she encouraged them to volunteer and serve others.
Russo-Marranzini received awards from many local organizations including Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year, March of Dimes Telethon First Lady of Atlantic City, Senior Citizen Pageant Woman of the Year Award, the B’nai B’rith Civic Award and honors from the Italian Republic: “Dama D’onore” and “Cavaliere”.
Lucille Russo-Marranzini was proud of all her awards and accomplishments, but her work with children and seniors highlighted her life.