TCA Monthly Alumni Spotlight – Baacke Family
This month, we are proud to spotlight an alum from the very first graduating class of TCA and his high school sweetheart, Danny (‘74) and Berta (‘78) Baacke.
Danny, a Jacksonville native who is still proud to call the “Bold City” his home, is recently retired from the United States Postal Service after 40 years. Now he enjoys passing his time working for Chick-fil-A, a place that allows him to share his joy with others and to say the famous catchphrase “My pleasure!” with a big smile. “I’m a people person and enjoy working with people,” said Danny.
Care and concern for others were instilled in Danny during his years at TCA. He credits TCA with preparing him to be successful in life through its “discipline and caring and loving teachers.” TCA also impacted his relationship with God through its teachers and great Bible classes. When not in class, Danny shined as an athlete. “I was on the basketball team, and we were the first team to win as district champs in 1974,” Danny proudly shared.
While Danny is literally one of the first TCA Alum, in the Baacke Family, he cannot claim the title as the only one. His loving wife, Berta also graduated from TCA in 1978. Together Danny and Berta have three beautiful children (Leah, Brian, and Allison) who also graduated from TCA, so the Conqueror pride runs deep!
Berta Baacke, previously Berta Stoudenmire, enjoys working at TCA in the guidance office and serving as a pianist for the choral department. She has also faithfully served for many years as a pianist in the worship band at Trinity Baptist Church. Berta’s passion for music was cultivated during her early days at TCA through her chorus and band involvement. “I was the pianist for the high school chorus and my senior year I was a member of the color guard,” she said. This beautiful legacy of music was passed down to Berta’s daughter, Allison, as well. Allison said, “The greatest success I took from Trinity is my love and passion for music. I credit every bit of it to my piano and Voices in Praise (VIP) teacher, Joan Cordell.”
Reflecting on her career, Berta is most thankful for the opportunity to work at TCA – a way to pay TCA for all the good bestowed on her. “I've grown up here, attended school at TCA since the opening day, and my three children grew up here and all graduated from here,” she said. “I was saved through the ministry of Trinity and not sure what my life would look like had I not been here.” When not sharing her time serving at TCA, Berta loves to visit her grandchildren in North Carolina and Tennessee.
As one of the earliest graduating classes, Berta realizes that TCA has changed a lot since 1978. Yet she still offers this sage advice for those interested in TCA: “I would certainly encourage parents to do what they could to put their children in a Christian environment where teachers love and care about their students,” said Berta. “There are lots of opportunities for students to be involved in whether it be music, academics, or sports.”
To learn more about TCA and how it empowered other alum like Danny and Berta Baacke to discover and live out their God-given purpose, visit https://tcajax.org/.