Former Gov. Thomas Kean to be honored Saturday at Bonnie Brae Tartan Ball in Bernards

Posted via MyCentralJersey.com:

The 2010 guest of honor at Bonnie Brae School's 24th Annual Tartan Ball this weekend will be former New Jersey Gov. Thomas H. Kean, whose family has a long history of supporting the residential center for adolescent boys from troubled backgrounds.

As homage to Bonnie Brae's Scottish roots, the event Saturday Feb. 6, at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park will feature bagpipers and invites guests to wear Scottish attire. The annual ball is crucial to raising money for the private, accredited residential treatment and special education center serving male residents from New Jersey, ages 8-18, said spokeswoman Cathy Phillips.

In addition to honoring Kean, the ball will feature an alumnus who will discuss the impact that Bonnie Brae has had on his life, Phillips said.

William M. Powers, Bonnie Brae CEO, said the school is honoring Kean for his continued dedication to Bonnie Brae and the state's children through his other roles.

Kean, 75, of Bedminster, said helping young people establish successful lives may be the most important job anyone can have.

"I have been working with kids all my life," said Kean, who was New Jersey's governor from 1982 to 1990. Kean was later appointed chairman of the 9/11 Commission in charge of investigating the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and for the commission's published recommendations. Kean spent several years as president of Drew University in Madison, until retiring in 2005. He is author of "The Politics of Inclusion" and "Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission."

Kean said he has been aware for about 50 years of the work Bonnie Brae does to educate and treat adolescent boys from throughout the state who sometimes have nowhere else to go.

"I just thought their mission was absolutely vital," Kean said, adding that he is honored by the school's recognition of him.

"You can be honored by a lot of organizations, but the ones that are the most meaningful for you are the ones you really respect," he said.

Multiple members of the Kean family have shown a long-term commitment to the school, Kean and Phillips said. Reed Kean, one of the sons of Tom Kean Sr., is a member of the facility's board of trustees, Phillips said.

Reed Kean noted that his uncle, Robert Kean, was a Bonnie Brae board member in the 1950s.

Founded in 1916, Bonnie Brae has helped more than 9,500 young men overcome personal and family difficulties. Bonnie Brae's 100-acre campus is in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards. The school also operates a community-based transitional residential treatment program in New Brunswick to provide independent living skills to youths transitioning from residential treatment to living in a community.

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