Friends and family gathered last week to remember longtime Plano community leader Judy Drotman. She passed away on March 13 just three days shy of her 77th birthday. Included among her many accolades were winning the Andre’ Davidson Spirit of Volunteerism Award in 2006 and the Plano Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award in 2010. She was an advocate for many causes including education, the arts and helping those dealing with food insecurity.
Longtime friend Suzy Jones, the executive director of ArtCentre of Plano, says Judy was a “one of a kind” who many people in the community considered a friend.
“I so appreciated her toughness as well as her beautiful spirit,” Jones said. “She gave of her time and her resources lovingly.”
Judy and her husband Bob came to Plano in 1982. Over the years her titles at one time or another included president of PTA boards, president of the Plano ISD Council of PTAs, president of the Plano ISD Education Foundation and trustee on the school board. She chaired the City of Plano’s Community Relations Commission and served on the Crime Prevention Advisory Board, the Plano Traffic Commission, and multiple school and community college bond committees. Judy graduated from Leadership Plano’s Class 14 as well as Leadership Texas in 2010.
While serving as the executive director of the Volunteer Center of Collin County, she helped connect volunteers to areas where they could make an impact. She was also very active at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. After spending two hers on the church’s outreach committee, she helped establish a food pantry in 2015.
Unbeknownst to many, Judy battled cancer for nearly 40 years, enduring countless chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Those close to her say that she always kept a positive attitude and relished spending time with those she loved.
“Besides being a special friend, she was an incredible force of nature. Judy made a significant impact on the Plano community,” Leadership Plano Program Director and close friend Carole Greisdorf said. “She invested herself fully in whatever she took on from her commitment to public education, to her involvement in the arts, to the dedication to voluntarism and to her love of family and friends. Plano will surely miss her positive spirit and her love of this city.”
Judy Drotman is survived by her husband of 55 years, Bob, as well as two children and two grandchildren.
