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Rotary Club News

2010

 

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French's Common Dedication

A pleasent day was had at the dedication of the new sign at French's Common.

Again representing Braintree Rotary Club and responsible for this success is

Dave Shepherd. A first class job to be sure. From all of us, thank you Dave

 

Rotary Club of Braintree Restores French's Common Sign

HISTORIC FRENCH'S COMMON SIGN FROM BRAINTREE RESTORED BY Braintree Rotary Club

 BLUEHILLs REGIONAL

TECHNICAL SCHOOL

 

 

By Judy Bass

 

Residents of Massachusetts are fortunate to live in one of the most richly historic areas of our nation.  Many of the communities in the eastern part of the Commonwealth date back to colonial times.

 

Artifacts from yesteryear, which have the power to bring those bygone days alive again, need to be carefully preserved.  That is why the letters on the French's Common arch in Braintree were recently restored to their original gleaming finish by a talented student at  Blue Hills RegionalTechnical School in Canton.

 

This Braintree Rotary Club project was spearheaded by Rotary member Dave Shepherd  who noticed that the letters on the arch looked like they were in serious need of a major refurbishing after being exposed to the weather for generations.  Shepherd also did research on the origins of the sign at the Braintree Historical Society, and found that the French family was a highly distinguished clan with roots dating to the 1600s.

 

According to a 1978 newspaper article tracing the family's history, John French was "allotted" 20 acres of land in 1640.  There were five members of the French family back then; each got four acres.  A parcel of land of that size was eventually given to the Town by Josiah French in 1851 for use as a multi-purpose common and for construction of a town hall, library, and Civil War memorial statue.

 

Other Frenches made their mark on civic life in different ways.  For example, "Squire Asa" French established the first post office in Braintree in a room of the French house on Washington Street in 1825.

Benjamin French became a prosperous grocer during the 19th century, owned a 200-acre farm in Braintree, and scientifically studied fruits and fruit-growing.  Asa French attended ThayerAcademy and YaleUniversity, was elected district attorney of the Norfolk-Plymouth district and rose to the position of U.S. District Attorney for Massachusetts, which he held for nine years.

 

In view of the distinguished history of the Frenches and the Common, the sign definitely merited restoration, but when Shepherd looked into having it done commercially, the estimate on the cost was $6,000, he said.  He then turned to Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton (with the approval of the Rotary's Board of Directors) because Braintree is one of the school's nine district towns, and its Superintendent, Joseph Ciccolo, happens to be a Braintree Rotarian.

 

Once Shepherd got the green light for the project, Blue Hills' Collision Repair & Refinishing Department took over the job, since that technical program has the capability to do spray painting, sandblasting, and other phases of the project.  The actual work was assigned to sophomore Sydnye Campenella of Dedham.

 

She began by sandblasting layers of accumulated dirt off the letters before applying epoxy primer to them.  With a grinder, Campenella filed down some of the letters' rough edges, then used solvent wash and a tack cloth to remove any oils and fine dust.  A base coat was applied, followed by a clear coat, and voila, the letters now gleamed like new.

 

Campenella said the sandblasting was the toughest part because the letters were "very dirty and rusty," but she enjoyed doing the painting.  When the freshly-shining letters are eventually put back in their rightful place atop the French's Common arch and Campenella sees it, she said she will recall all of her hard work on this project, truly a labor of love for the ages.

 

The Braintree Rotary Club is most proud of the work that was done at Blue Hills and the talent of Ms Campenella. Special appreciaiton to Dave Shepherd for his tireless effort to bring this to fruition.Through the years our club has taken on many such projects to enhance the quality of life in Braintree and to make our town just a little nicer to be a part of.

 

Foundation Seminar
  Date: Saturday, October 02, 2010 at 8:00 A.M.
  Fee: $25.00 per person
  Location: Whites of Westport [View Map]
    66 State road
    Westport, MA, 02790
  Details: The district Rotary Foundation seminar emphasizes the benefits of involvement in The Rotary Foundation and outlines the Foundation's programs and policies. Attendees get answers to their Foundation questions and updates on policy changes and goals for the year. Come prepared to participate. NO TALKING HEADS, NO ASKING FOR MONEY and YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO LEAVE ON TIME!

You will also learn about ways to recognize individuals and clubs in their district for outstanding Foundation contributions.

Participation is open to "all" Rotarian's, including club presidents, club foundation committee chairs or members, district leadership, and any new members who want to learn more about the foundation. How will you be involved?

Register & pay online or download the registration form on the left and follow the instruction.

Thank you. I look forward to seeing you at the seminar.

Steve Silverman, PDG
DRFC 7950

Register Online

Thank you.
For District 7950,
James T. Rassol (Event Chair)

 

Past Presidents of Braintree Rotary Club

 

Good Afternoon,

 

Please allow me a brief moment to introduce you to The RotaryClub of Braintree.

 

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world.

 

The Braintree Club was established in 1923 and we have been continuously serving the community since our inception. We are a non-profit organization and we rely on the voluntary service commitment of our members to advance the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self.

 

Our membership is comprised of leading citizens and business people in the community who are willing to commit some time and effort to improve the world in which we all live.

 

We are one of over thirty two thousand clubs established in two hundred countries throughout the world. With over 1.2 million members world-wide, we are a formidable force for humanitarian improvement.

 

Throughout the years we have been involved in global projects of immense proportions - eradicating polio, fostering peace through international scholarships and exchange programs, and addressing such critical issues as poverty, hunger, health, illiteracy, and the environment.

 

On a local level we have been very active in the support of the DeVannaCenter for the prevention of child abuse, the Braintree Food Pantry, the Council on Aging, the BraintreeCommunityYouthCenter, and the Braintree education system. Our commitment to education is shown each year with scholarships for students in the three local high schools, as well as providing dictionaries to all third graders, thesauruses to all fifth graders in town, and continued support of the Thayer Public Library.

   

We, as a collective group have changed the lives of thousands making their day a little easier and their future a lot brighter. The feeling of accomplishment and being part of an organization such as Rotary is most gratifying for all the men and women who belong. New friends and contacts will be made and more importantly you will become a cog in the Rotary Wheel to Make A Difference. 

 

We thank you for allowing us the opportunity to present you with some information about Rotary. We hope that we have peaked your interest and that you may consider becoming a member of our club.We would be most pleased to have you join us for lunch at the Braintree Sheraton any Thursday at noon to see what we are all about.

 

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact us via email braintreerotary@gmail.com, or Braintree Rotary Club
                                                             P.O. Box 850082
                                                          Braintree, MA 02185

 

Rotarily Yours,

Braintree Rotary Club





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