Service Award: Alumni Parents Ira Stark and Laurie Hodian
Ira Stark and Laurie Hodian received the Alumni Association’s Service Award at the Dinner Among Friends on Alumni Weekend. Ira and Laurie joined the MFS community as parents starting when their daughter (and now School Committee member) Alex ’06 began in Kindergarten in 1993, and they continued as parents through 2010 when their son Justin graduated.
As MFS parents, Ira and Laurie held volunteer roles on Parent Council and the Bravo! Club, were active with the biennial Auction – which often featured artwork that Ira had donated to the event, and Laurie served as a Career Day presenter. In 2002, Laurie joined the School Committee and served on the Board until 2010, and held the position of Clerk of the Governance Committee. She was also a member of the Quaker Dimension Working Group for the 2011 Strategic Planning Process. Ira and Laurie were avid fans and watched their kids play sports at MFS, including Alex’s swimming career and Justin, who was a three-sport athlete.
In retirement, Laurie can frequently be found on campus, deep beneath the Auditorium stage in the Green Room, working with the wonderful MFS Stitchers that support the costuming work for the Fall Musical, Winter Play, as well as Middle School musicals. Laurie has also served on the Estaugh Board of Medford Leas, as well as numerous committees at Moorestown Monthly Meeting.
Laurie, now retired, served as the Director of Administration for the NJ Department of Children and Families. Formerly, she was a Senior Deputy Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, and Section Chief of the Employment Counseling Section in the Division of Law, in the Department of Law and Public Safety. She has extensive experience in litigation of civil rights and employment cases as well as tort matters. She holds a B.S.W. from Temple University. She received her J.D. with honors from Temple University School of Law. She is a member of Moorestown Monthly Meeting.
Ira is a radiologist who earned his medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he also did his residency in Diagnostic Imaging as well as at St. Barnabas Hospital. His fellowship was at Graduate Hospital Imaging Center. He has 45 years of experience in the field, and has served and taught at several health network affiliations over his career including Hahnemann Hospital, Temple University Hospital, Capital Health, and more.
Through their years as parents and beyond, Ira and Laurie have been steady and generous supporters of the Annual Fund, the Great Classrooms for Great Kids campaign, and the Van Meter Camden Scholars Endowment, making the school their top philanthropic priority. Laurie reflected on the journey to enroll Alex and Justin at
MFS. “We came here because of our children,” she said. “We were attracted to the school because of the values, the Quaker tenets, that we share – equality, community, peace – things that we still cherish. Now that I am back in the school regularly, these are still things you see everyday. It’s alive. Everything the school does is wrapped in these values. It’s been nothing but a pleasure serving in every way we can.”
Ira closed their remarks with a final thank you and reflection on their journey as community members. “Pre-kids, Laurie and I had many discussions about the importance of education in our children’s lives,” he said. “She then discovered Moorestown Friends School and it’s been one of the best decisions we ever made. It’s been an honor doing whatever we can for the school.”