Barre to honor 5 at 28th annual Community Service Recognition Night
Toolbox
Published: October 12, 2009
A group of outstanding community volunteers will be honored this Thursday when the Knights of Columbus Hall hosts the 28th annual Community Service Recognition Night. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a social hour, cash bar and hors d'oeuvres. The recipients of this year's awards will be welcomed into the hall at 6:45 p.m. by piper Ian Gauthier, accompanied by representatives of the four Barre service clubs, the Altrusa, Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary. At 7 p.m., a dinner of mostaccioli and chicken will be served.
Master of Ceremonies Hans Asoera will be accompanied by Gov. James Douglas as they present certificates to this year's honorees: Linda Babic, Linda Boyce, Maurice Fortier, Sr., Patricia Meriam, and Nancy Pope. Tickets for the dinner are just $16 per person and may be purchased at the Aldrich Public Library or from service club members (or call for reservations at 476-7550.)
The Joint Service Clubs' Annual Community Service Recognition Night is unique to Barre. The dinner was first held in 1982 as a means of honoring individuals who have provided years of unsung service to the Barre area and its people, working long and hard behind the scenes for the betterment of Barre. Proceeds from the dinner benefit the Aldrich Library, and a copy of each honoree's community service commendation is kept in a set of permanent albums in the library's archives.
The Community Recognition Award Dinner is sponsored by the service clubs of Barre. From 1982 through 1992, the chairman of the event was Joseph B. Calcagni. Since that time the sponsoring clubs have taken turns chairing the event each year. This year's event has been planned by representatives from the four service clubs, including Maria and Mia Beede of Altrusa; Nancy Gale of Kiwanis; Harry Hinrichsen from the Lions Club; and Carol Dawes and Karen Lane of Rotary. This year's club sponsor is the Kiwanis Club.
This year's honorees are:
Linda T. Babic
A staunch advocate for children, Linda Babic exemplifies strength and determination. Her many memberships and volunteer activities have shown her to be a tireless supporter of young people in need. She has taken countless teenagers under her wing, providing them with a foster home for as long as necessary and setting them on a new path.
Linda Tomasi Babic grew up in Montpelier and graduated from Saint Michael's High School. She received her BA degree from Skidmore College, and her MA in clinical psychology at the University of Hartford Graduate School. For the past 20 years, Linda has worked as a counselor at the Barre City Elementary and Middle School. She sees firsthand what challenges young people face today as they prepare for careers and family life.
Her compassion for those in need – especially young people – has led Linda to volunteer her time as a co-therapist for Multiple Family therapy groups at the Vermont State Hospital. She has also served as a member of the board of directors of Orange County Mental Health (16 years), Vermont Association for Mental Health (20 years), Central Vermont Chapter of American Red Cross (25 years), Our House of Central Vermont (13 years), Channel 7 (4 years), and the Lotus Lake Discovery Center.
When her children were young, Linda was an active PTA member and served as president. She co-organized and taught summer bible schools in which the Catholic and Baptist churches collaborated. Linda was a member of the community-based group that sought and received grant support for the substance abuse prevention program "New Directions," and she served on the board for ten years.
Linda has been a participating mentor and board member for 11 years with the Barre Youth Mentor Program at Barre City Elementary and Middle School. When the mentoring program lost its funding, Linda and a co-worker obtained support through a program that recycles printer cartridges and cell phones. The project received assistance from the school and from the Barre Rotary Club. Linda is also a member of the School Health Advisory Committee.
For 20 years, Linda has been a foster parent, taking in many troubled children, advocating for them and providing respite for their families.
At Barre City Elementary and Middle School, Linda works with the Holiday Committee to ensure that all area children have food for the holidays, as well as age-appropriate gifts. Some needy families are able to be "adopted" by other families or businesses during this time.
Linda is the niece of Montpelier newspaperwoman Mari Tomasi, whose novel Like Lesser Gods, based on oral interviews done in the 1940s, is about the lives of the graniteworkers of Barre.
Linda and her husband Tom Babic are the parents of four and grandparents of four, all of whom live in central Vermont. Their son Kevin is vice president of finance for Sugarbush Resort, and Kevin's wife Kristin is the systems manager for Sugarbush; they live in Warren with their daughter Warner. Kristopher, their son, is a senior software architect and Java dpecialist for Sun Micro, who, with his partner Sarah Menard, a software assessor for National Life, have recently relocated to Barre Town. Daughter Cassie, a retail associate at Bob's Camera in Barre, recently displayed her photos at the Round Barn in Waitsfield. She lives in Berlin with her children Austin and Madison. Son David, a world-class competitive moguls skier, and his wife Katie Hilferty, a U32 High School counselor, live in Waitsfield with their new son Wyatt. Linda Babic continues to be one of Barre's greatest advocates for children. She goes far beyond her role as a counselor to truly solve the needs these young people face.
Linda B. Boyce
Linda B. Boyce, the daughter of Sonny and Mary Ann Bowen, was born in August, 1957, at the Barre City Hospital. Linda attended Trow Hill School, and was in the first fourth grade at the new Barre Town School. She graduated from Spaulding High School in 1975. An accomplished violinist, Linda earned 2nd seat during All- New England competition, as well as 2nd seat at the state level. She also served as treasurer and secretary of the Future Business Leaders of America.
On a blind date set up by her college friends, Linda met UVM student Tom Boyce, also from Barre, whom she married on April 30th, 1977. The couple has always made their home in Barre, and together they have raised three children: Christopher, Kimberly, and Katharine.
Between 1990 and 1994, Linda was vice president in charge of operations for New England Health Brokerage, and from September 1995 and 2008, she was vice president in charge of operations for Senior Marketing Associates. She and her husband owned both businesses and traveled extensively during their start-up years. Their days would begin at 3 a.m. and conclude after the couple returned home, checked over their children's homework, and completed various community and state volunteer projects. Linda has received numerous awards and recognition for her work as an insurance agent.
Now a Licensed Nursing Assistant at Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington, Linda plans to become a Registered Nurse and enjoy a new career.
Linda was a co-leader of her daughter's Brownie and Girl Scout Troops, and was twice elected treasurer of the Vermont Girl Scout Council. A room-mother for seven years, Linda organized and volunteered at numerous school activities and events.
Linda was chosen 1991 Mother of the Year for Barre Community Baseball and Softball. Not only did she attend to the concession stand, nightly and every weekend, but she was also instrumental in finding certified umpires for each and every game (especially during tournament time), cleaning and lining the fields, and daily informing the local media of the results of every game.
A member the Barre Tones a cappella singing group, Linda sang in a quartet from 1998 to 2000. That year the Barre Tones won the statewide competition! With her husband Tom, Linda was co-editor for four years of the quarterly publications of the Barre Fish and Game Club, and the Sporting Alliance for Vermont's Environment (S.A.V.E.). She was recorder for 16 years for Washington County Sen. Bill Doyle's annual polls.
Linda was elected three times as an officer of the Barre Jaycees and served six terms on the board. She belonged to the regional board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and chaired the two largest MDA fundraising events ever held in the state of Vermont. In 1990, she appeared with Jerry Lewis during the live broadcast of the 25th MDA Telethon in Los Angeles. Her energy and commitment make her a priceless asset to the greater Barre community.
MAURICE "Moe" FORTIER, Sr.
Moe Fortier is a Barre native, a graduate of Spaulding High School, Class of 1950, and a veteran of the Korean War. He attended Vermont College and began work with the telephone company in 1956 retiring from Verizon in 1991 after 35 years. During that time, he served as business manager, then financial secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2326. In addition, he served as executive vice president of the Vermont State Labor Council from 1983-1985. He was appointed by former Gov. Madeleine Kunin to serve on the state of Vermont Labor Mediation & Arbitration Board.
In 1953, Maurice Fortier married his Spaulding High School classmate Doris "Dot" Coffin. Moe and Dot belong to Hedding Methodist Church, where Dot taught for 25 years in the church's popular nursery school.
For the past 18 years, since his retirement, Moe Fortier has enjoyed a successful career as a realtor with Town & Country Associates of Barre. He is a member of the Mutuo and he has served on the board of Barre Area Development, the Central Vermont Board of Realtors and the Barre Branch of KeyBank. He is a life member of the American Legion and the Barre Lodge of Elks.
A recipient of the Lions Club's Melvin Jones Award for his tireless service, Moe has been a member of the Barre Lions Club since 1972 and served as King Lion (president) during 1994-1995. As a Lions Club member, he chaired the Barre Sportsman Show from 1985 to 1988, was a member of the Austine Camp for the Deaf Committee from 1980-2009, and he chaired the Lions Club Mountaineers Baseball Concession committee plus numerous other committees, including the Barre Joint Service Clubs Community Service Recognition Dinner planning committee. Now it is our privilege to recognize Maurice Fortier for his own years of service to greater Barre!
Moe has served for 30 years on the Basketball Tournament Committee working concessions and taking tickets at the Barre Auditorium, which he considers one of the true treasures of the Barre community. As a youngster he played basketball there and he credits those times as inspiration for his lifelong love of sports, a passion he has passed on to his children and their children. Moe is a regular at all their sports events.
Maurice and Doris Fortier have six children – three sons and three daughters, as well as eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Maurice Jr., known as "Reece," works at Rock of Ages Corporation and is co-owner with his wife Jan of Angeleno's Restaurant in Montpelier, and they're the parents of Chris and Michael. Brad Fortier is a vice president of the Co-op Insurance Company of Middlebury and his wife Shirley of UVM and their daughter Jessica Shepard and her husband Ted. Tim is a resident of Barre and works at Hannaford's. Daughter Drusilla "Drussie" Meir lives in Ardmore, Oklahoma, where her husband is owner of Mazzio's Italian restaurant. Lori Ann Fortier Millington just moved to East Montpelier. She and her husband have two children, Bob and Becky. Daughter Mary lives in Washington, Vt., where she and her husband Todd Ronson have three children, Taylor, Jake and Noah. Their three great-grandchildren are Jocelyn, Brady & Jack.
Both of Moe's parents were from Coaticook, Quebec, and their relatives live on his maternal grandmother's farm, which has been in the family for five generations. Quietly and in his own way, Moe Fortier has – through his active membership in many community, military, union, professional, fraternal and service organizations – made Barre a much better place to live and work.
PATRICIA L. MERIAM
Her involvement in the Vermont Granite Museum and Stone Arts School, the Barre Opera House, the Barre Partnership, and the Barre Town Middle and Elementary School all have as their purpose the betterment of Barre. She has developed and coordinated community-wide events involving area youth that shine a welcome and positive light on greater Barre. Patty's life interests have centered on contributing to issues of health, education, art, and architectural preservation for her community.
Originally from Nyack, New York, Patty graduated from Nyack High School, received a BS in Art History and pre-med from Boston College, then earned her MS in Historic Preservation from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. She and her husband Chris, an orthopaedic surgeon, have two children, Silas and Rose. They are members of St. Monica's parish, and Patty home schools her children in Catholic education.
Patty's parents, Mary and Edward Leahey, who was also an orthopedic surgeon, inspired Patty's love for her Irish heritage. Patty's earliest work was coordinating medical research trials at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Patty lost two brothers to heart disease and she serves as secretary of the Leahey Foundation established in her brothers' memory to support clinical trial research.
A board member of the Barre Opera House since 2001, Patty served as chairwoman of the Stewardship Committee and as co-chair of the Special Events Committee, which is responsible for the Valentines Day Dinner and the Opera House Gala. Patty is a member of the Programming Committee which selects performances for the Celebration Series. As chairwoman of the Facilities Committee, she brings her credentials as a preservationist to estimate and prioritize improvements, guide historic design and aesthetic decisions, help write grants, and oversee maintenance needed to preserve the historic theater.
She was a member of the Barre Partnership's Design Committee and worked on the design submitted to VTrans for reconstructing Main Street and City Hall Park. A member of the Partnership's Programming Committee in 2006-2007 she developed and coordinated "Scary Barre," a series of Halloween activities to attract people downtown: original art by high school art students on the shop windows of Main Street, plus storytelling, harvest dinners and classic monster movies.
As chairwoman of the Partnership's Arts, Recreation, Culture and Tourism Committee, Patty worked with Millstone Hill's Pierre Couture to develop "Winterfest" in 2007. What emerged was a winter carnival with snow sports, ice-skating, entertainment and a snow sculpture contest. Patty also kept and distributed a local events calendar to inform and coordinate the fundraising activities and events of area arts and not-for profit organizations.
Patty has been active with the Barre Town Middle and Elementary School, where she participates in the Curriculum, Policy, Facilities, and School Health Advisory Committees. She helped write and administer an $11,000 Farm-to-School Grant, coach two drama productions and two student talent shows, and she taught Irish step dancing after school to over 40 students. For the opening of the Barre Town Bike Path in 2006, Patty helped organize a Bike-a-thon that raised enough money to buy 35 mountain bikes, now at BTMES.
In 2003, Patty joined the board of the Vermont Granite Museum of Barre. She has served as volunteer Executive Director and coordinator of the annual Granite Festival for the past two years. This year she oversaw the restoration of the museum's Railroad Depot in Depot Square which houses local businesses and provides rental income for the museum. She has also been instrumental in developing the museum Web site and logo, coordinating the annual meetings of the Preservation Trades Network and the International Stone Foundation at the museum, arranging for the construction of a bocce court and fire pit, and establishing a museum annex at Millstone Hill in Barre Town. In fact, Patty Meriam has kept the Vermont Granite Museum moving forward when others have run out of steam!
Patty's many contributions help make Barre a community that is fun to live in, provides cultural and recreational activities around an historical background, and gives everyone pride in the place they live.
NANCY F. POPE
Nancy Pope's thoughtful and principled leadership on the school boards of Barre Town and Spaulding High School and on behalf of the Aldrich Library reflect her personal values of hard work, high ethical standards, and the importance of a strong community. Her work on behalf of lifelong education has distinguished her as a generous and forceful community leader.
Nancy Friberg Pope was born and raised in Barre. She is the daughter of Melvin and Merilyn Friberg and grew up with the strength of Barre granite around her.
Nancy graduated from Spaulding High School in 1971. She earned her undergraduate degree at Cornell University, and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
After completing her studies, she served as a loan officer with Chase Manhattan Bank and was a loan officer with the Vermont Industrial Development Authority. She is a trustee of the Northfield Savings Bank and the Sentinel Variable Products Trust of National Life Company.
Nancy is a past member and former chairwoman of the Barre Town Middle and Elementary School Board and currently a member of the Spaulding High School Board. She is on the Executive Committee of the Barre Congregational Church.
Nancy joined the board of the Aldrich Public Library in 1994. In 2007 Nancy was elected President of the Aldrich Library and she has taken a strong leadership role in securing sound finances for the library.
When John Nicholls, her predecessor as board president, stepped down from the board in 2007, Nancy made arrangements to celebrate John's outstanding leadership of the library over more than a decade by inviting John's and the library's friends and supporters to contribute to a special fund to retire the debt on the 1999 expansion of the library building. Over $75,000 was quickly raised through Nancy's effort and the library began the year 2008 completely free of debt for the first time in many years.
Nancy and the library board have also worked cooperatively with the Barre City Council and the town selectboard to put in place a plan to increase the municipal support for the library.
Nancy and her husband Bob live in Barre Town and both are very active in community affairs. Their daughter Lizzy is a PhD candidate at UVM; their son Greg just returned from England, having earned an MS at Oxford, and their son Michael is a junior at Washington University in St. Louis.
Barre is indeed fortunate to have in Nancy Friberg Pope an outstanding community leader who is generous with her time and expertise, is actively involved in local efforts to strengthen and improve opportunities for lifelong learning in Barre, and who keeps the betterment of greater Barre first and foremost in her mind and in her community work.
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