- Ellen Marie Bertsch was born in Paterson, grew up in Wayne, and, after marrying Frank Gambatese, raised five children in West Paterson
- Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Seton Hall University in 1966, and taught at St. Philip’s Elementary School in Clifton for 19 years
- In retirement, after moving to South Brunswick, served as President of the South Brunswick Library Board of Trustees, Chairwoman of the Community Development Block Grant, member of the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, Docent at the New Jersey State House, and volunteer at St. Augustine’s Church in Kendall Park
- Received the Library Trustee of the Year Award from Middlesex County in 2010. Also received the Silvio O. Conte Award from the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey and the Barry Indik Memorial Award, presented by the Citizens for Independent Living, in 2011
- Was also involved in the Hugs for Brady Foundation, Hurricane Katrina Relief, and the South Brunswick Arts Commission
“I’m thrilled to death that we have not only expanded the library once, but we’re continuing to carry out the original plan, which we couldn’t do in the beginning because we just didn’t have the money.”
South Brunswick Post 2010
