Pam Bredberg

Staying busy, staying involved with people, I am convinced keeps one healthy and young in spirit, if not in body. ”

Pam Bredberg retired from teaching at Irving Elementary School after a career in Bozeman that spanned nearly 40 years. She earned a Bachelors in Elementary Education and Speech Therapy at Washington State University. Her first job was in Guam, where she stayed for four years. She spent two of those years working as a speech therapist and the other two as a 2nd grade teacher. In addition to teaching, Bredberg volunteered with the Red Cross visiting injured and returning airmen from Vietnam. She got her Masters degree and moved to Bozeman with her husband after her time in Guam. “I feel very privileged, because I’ve had a good education, I have my health, and I have a good family,” says Bredberg. “Staying busy, staying involved with people, I am convinced keeps one healthy and young in spirit, if not in body.” For over fifty years she has been involved with P.E.O, a women’s philanthropic organization that celebrates, encourages, and funds women’s journeys to further their education. “I like the fact that we’re helping women to be educated. That’s near and dear to my heart,” she explains. Bredberg has been a Bozeman Chapter President, and even started a new chapter, chapter “CJ”, which she currently leads. Bredberg explains, “Bozeman is the kind of area where you can be busy doing something twenty four/seven every day of the year. If there’s an interest, seek it out. Because there’s probably some place in town where you can help out.” In addition to P.E.O, Bredberg is an active Rotary member and participant in the local teacher’s union. She started out as a building representative and eventually grew to be president. She was active in the teacher’s union for over half her teacher career. Looking back on teaching, Bredberg recalls, “The most fun was watching children get it, especially when they’ve been struggling for a while.” When she moved to Bozeman, Bredberg was working in the Title One program, where she would help students one on one and in small group settings. In her free time, Bredberg loves road trips, “I love just getting in the car and going someplace. Seeing where the road takes me.” Wherever that road does take her, she is likely to come home with a new nativity set, or Cinderella book. Bredberg loves collecting nativity sets as well as Cinderella books from all over the world., which showcase the variety of cultures that have their own spin on the Cinderella story.