Herb Turetzky Scholarship Fund
In honor of long-time NBA Brooklyn Nets Official Scorer, the Herb Turetzky Scholarship Fund will be awarded to a Brownsville or East New York incoming freshman seeking an education at Medgar Evers College young student seeking a valued college education
This scholarship will be awarded annually starting with the fall 2024 semester, to an incoming freshman seeking such ideals and matching the characteristics of the late Turetzky.
Herb Turetzky, a native of Brownsville, NY, passed away in April 2022. To the basketball world, he was known as the longtime Official Scorer for the New York, New Jersey, and Brooklyn Nets. This was a position and title he wore proudly for 54 years. Turetzky went by many names and titles such as Official Scorer, or Mr. Net; but the ones he was most proud of were husband, dad, Bop, and of course, friend.
He scored more than 2,200 games, which has been certified as a World Record by the Guinness Book of World Records for professional sports, including at one point 1,465 consecutive games. Much more than a scorer, he has been described as a basketball historian, an encyclopedia, and most importantly a friend. Whether it was in the early days of the franchise with players such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Super John Williamson, and Brian Taylor, or the ‘80s and ‘90s with players like Daryl Dawkins, Buck Williams, Otis Birdsong, or more recently with Drazen Petrovic, Jayson Williams, Kerry Kittles, Jason Kidd, Kevin Durant, and Spencer Dinwiddie, as well as countless officials, coaches, and team personnel, these relationships were one of the greatest joys of the job for Turetzky.
Prior to being a local business owner in Bayside, Queens, he was a New York City School principal and educator. Education was extremely important to Herb and his family. His wife Jane, always by his side, spent 50 plus years as a special education teacher and administrator at a public elementary school in Flushing, Queens and their two children, Jennifer and David, are currently both educators–a school psychologist and a high school guidance counselor respectively.
In line with Turetzky’ s commitment to education, there was no better way to remember him than with the establishment of a scholarship fund for a deserving incoming freshman from his hometown. The student will be a contributor to their community and a student seeking a valued education.
The scholarship found its home at Medgar Evers College (MEC), which offers programs both at the baccalaureate and at the associate degree levels, giving close attention to the articulation between the two-year and four-year programs.
SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA
- Applicant must be a resident of the Brownsville – East New York area in Brooklyn and graduates from an accredited New York City based high school (public, private, charter)
- Applicant must be an incoming freshman.
- Applicant must be engaged in voluntary community service.
- Applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- Applicant must commit to enrollment as a full-time student at Medgar Evers College in either the two (2) or four (4) year program.
