Robbinsville dedicates athletic field to late superintendent Steven Mayer

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ROBBINSVILLE — At the dedication of the Robbinsville High School athletic complex on Saturday, the spirit of late school superintendent Steven Mayer was felt by those who knew or loved him.

Mayer, 52, was killed in April after being struck by a car driven by one of his students.

Now his words and image will live on in the district.

Several hundred students, staff and relatives came to the ceremony to dedicate the Dr. Steven J. Mayer Athletic Complex and unveil the plaques that will placed in each of the Mercer County district's three schools.

The plaques each display a picture of Mayer along with the phrase “Make Someone’s Day Today." Mayer's youngest son, Kyle, recalled that was what his father told him each day before he left for school.

The well-known and beloved school official was was struck and killed with his dog as he jogged around dawn on April 19. The high school student, who was 17 years old at the time, was charged in June as a juvenile with second-degree death by auto and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death. Prosecutors said she was on her cell phone at the time of the crash and continued driving away.

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At the ceremony Saturday, Mayor David Fried said Mayer was "a bundle of energy who was passionate about this town and passionate about sports and the school."

"This is an exciting day for us to be able to dedicate this to him. I had calls over the last few months wanting to dedicate everything in town in his name. We thought long and hard about what we wanted to do. I really thought this was a good tribute to him. He loved sports, he loved school, he was a big part of making this facility happen."

During the ceremony in front of a sea of white T-shirts that read "We are here because he was," and red shirts worn by close friends and family with "Dr. Mayer - Supe" written on them, Fried recalled that Mayer would greet each staff member and student by name.

"He also would tell me people's stories. I used to think to myself, 'How did he have the capacity to know everybody's story?' He believed in his kids all the time and he was always passionate about his kids and that's one of the things I always admired about him."

High School senior Bobby Stewart, who was on the lacrosse team with Mayer's son Kyle last season, said the team designed the red T-shirts "in honor of (Mayer) and respect to Kyle. We wore these shirts the rest of the year."

The middle school and high school choirs combined to perform one of the songs Mayer enjoyed hearing the choirs perform, "Rise Up," before the plaques were unveiled and the tarp removed from the "Dr. Steven J. Mayer Athletic Complex" sign.

Members of Robbinsville Brownie Troop 71439 made a large paper heart with the words "Make someone's day today." Troop mother Karen said she wanted the girls to carry out that message.

"We want them to grow up thinking they can make someone's day everyday just by having a smile on their face," she said.

Mayer began his career teaching in Howell before being named assistant principal of Applegarth Middle School in Monroe Township and then principal at James Madison Intermediate School in Edison. He later became principal at Thomas Grover Middle School in West Windsor-Plainsboro, and then served as that district’s assistant superintendent before coming to Robbinsville.

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Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.