THE GERRY BERTIER #42 FOUNDATION®™
P.O. Box 2601
Spotsylvania, Virginia 22553
540.760.4683

GERRY BERTIER, “REMEMBER THE TITANS”

Ask someone, almost anyone, if they saw the movie “Remember The Titans” and you are likely, from behind an excited expression, to hear “That’s My Favorite Movie Of All Times” or “That’s Was A Great Movie” or “I Still Watch It Every Time It Comes On TNT (Which Is Just About Every Weekend). This movie has that special something that only a few movies ever capture. That “It Factor”. The ability, when watched in the privacy of a darkened theater or your own living room, to bring to the surface the best of emotions; Hope, Joy, Courage, Elation and Esprit De Corp, to the point that seven years after the movie first premiered you are still greeted with the response, “Yea That Is My All Time Favorite”. The original coaches and players that were portrayed in the movie are still, to this day, sought after to make guest appearances and speaking engagements around the country.

Gerry Bertier was one of the best players and leaders on the team known as the best in the history of Virginia football. He was the recipient of many, many awards as well as being heavily recruited by a number of top Universities. However at the end of his senior year’s football season Bertier suffered a devastating injury that left him a paraplegic. Gerry did not let his injury destroy his fortitude. While the car accident was a stunning blow to T.C. Williams and the local community, Bertier, who had been born and raised in Alexandria dealt with the hardships heroically and ultimately became an advocate for the handicapped.

Just over a year-and-a-half following Bertier’s death on March 20, 1981 at age 29 a resolution to name the T.C. gymnasium after him was presented. Part of the resolution reads, “Alexandria’s first high school All-American football player who became a paraplegic in an automobile accident, was for a decade a leading advocate for disabled persons by participating in world wheelchair basketball and other sports in Olympic Wheelchair Games. …And be it further resolved that the main gymnasium at T.C. Williams High School, the school where Gerry captained the city’s first Virginia State Championship football team, be named the Gerry Bertier Memorial Gymnasium.” In June of 1999, Bertier was recognized by the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club as one of Alexandria’s 100 Greatest Athletes of all time.

The family of Gerry, in order to continue his work as an advocate for the handicap and his passion to advance Spinal Cord Injury Research started “The Gerry Bertier #42 Foundation”. Gerry’s foundation is a non-profit (501c3) organization whose charter is to support the advancement of Spinal Cord Injury Research. The main fund raising efforts for the foundation are; a live national telethon hosted by Sirius Radio’s dynamic “KING DUDE” Mike Church, a private dinner reception and meet and greet with the Original Titan players and coaches and an annual charity golf tournament. Our first tournament was October 2006 and we and we are currently working on our Fith Annual Events which will take place on September 17, 18, 2010. As in the previous years the net proceeds of the tournament will be given to The Virginia Commonwealth University’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Center to support Spinal Cord Injury Research.

Our resolve to advance the research into spinal cord injury was stiffened by the support of all those involved in the prior three tournaments and the ability to raise an impressive level of proceeds. Please lend us your support for future Annual Gerry Bertier #42 Foundation Charity Golf Tournament.

On behalf of the foundation and the family of Gerry Bertier we would like to thank you in advance for any consideration you may give to our request. Please feel free to contact me directly: bucksutton@comcast.net or 540-760-4683

Warmest regards,

Rebecca Britt
Chairman of The Board

Buck Sutton
President