Brookdale Brookfield resident, Pearl Coster, blew out 103 birthday candles at her party on Friday, May 17th. Her family, fellow residents and staff of the community, honored the beloved Wisconsin educator with a special birthday bash that even included a specially made mocktail named the “Pearlie Colada” in honor of the birthday girl!
The Brookfield Town Administrator, Tom Hagie, also made an appearance at the party with a special proclamation to honor Pearl.
The 1930s saw tremendous changes in education for women in America. While achieving a bachelor’s degree was an increasing trend for women, it was still not common. It was even rarer to earn a Master’s degree at that time. But Pearl has never been one to fall into any kind of stereotype. She earned a Master’s degree in education and spent much of her life teaching kids in the La Crosse area. She taught second grade at Franklin Elementary School for more than 30 years. Hundreds of children passed through her tutelage over the span of her career. Her legacy and influence live on in generations of children in the La Crosse area.
Besides accomplishing the feat of a Master’s degree, Pearl achieved some personal milestones as well, she married the love of her life, Roy and together they had two daughters, Carol and Mary.
The local TV station, WTMJ was in attendance to ask Pearl about her fondest memory from the last century. Click to watch the news story.
