South Boston Citizens’ Association president Tom McGrath has announced the association’s 2016 recipients of the James M. “Jimmy” Kelly Shamrock Award for Community Service.
One of the 2016 Shamrock Awards will be presented to Patty McCormick, for her selfless efforts in aiding those in need and pitching in at the drop of a hat, for any benefit or worthy cause in the town.
Patty is a lifelong resident of South Boston, and for the past 25 years a proud resident of Andrew Square.
Patty is a 37 year employee of the South Boston Boys & Girls Club. Her most recent accomplishment at the club is working on the Capital Campaign that resulted in an $11.3 million renovation of the Clubhouse on the corner of “F” and West Sixth Streets, ensuring that the South Boston neighborhood will continue the strong tradition of providing services to children ages 6 to 18.
“She goes above and beyond in her work with the Club and Andrew Square and all other worthy causes in this town. Patty is all about South Boston and its survival as a community, and her positive attitude and actions reflect her dedication,” McGrath said.
She is a long-time member and officer of the Andrew Square Civic Association. This is one of the older neighborhood associations in the community, founded by John Mullen and Russell Waterman. As her predecessors did, she works hard to ensure that the Andrew Square neighborhood is respected and represented in the South Boston community.
Patty is also a committee member for Veterans Express, which organized two trips, giving local veterans the opportunity to visit their monuments in Washington, D.C. She is also a committee member for Thomas J. Fitzgerald Post Events, as well as committee member for the following: World War II Memorial, Commander Joseph Murphy Memorial, Doc Reid Memorial and Bob Moakley Memorial.
She also represents Andrew Square, as a member of the Neighborhood Advisory Council for Boston Police District C-6, assisting the Boston Police Department in establishing policing priorities, as well as the strategies to achieve them.
Lastly, she is member of the South Boston Trauma Response Team. This group addresses the serious issues of substance abuse – overdoses and suicides – that affect our neighborhood.
Our next recipients of the Jimmy Kelly Shamrock Award are Chris Flaherty, Andrew Lane and Ryan Long, three off-duty Boston firefighters who were at the at the beach working out this past summer when they saw the late Sean Malone swimming farther and farther from shore. That’s when Chris Flaherty went on a paddleboard in an attempt to rescue him.
But as The Boston Globe reported, Malone was nowhere to be found by the time Flaherty reached him. But three teenagers who were out on a powerboat at the time – 17-year-old Joey Binda, 18-year-old John Feeney and 17-year-old Elliott Chauvet – spotted Flaherty calling for help in the search and raced to him.
When Flaherty told the teens that Malone had disappeared, they began searching. Together they found the nearly drowned and now-unconscious man, and the teens loaded him onto the boat to bring them back to shore.
The Boston Globe recounted details of the harrowing rescue:
“Once they had Malone onboard, Flaherty told Binda, who was driving the boat, ‘Get him to shore as fast as you can.’
“Feeney and Chauvet assisted Flaherty in performing CPR on Malone, while the boat raced to meet two other off-duty firefighters, Ryan Long and Andrew Lane, at the bathhouse. The two firefighters were waiting with a defibrillator they had retrieved from the building.”
McGrath stated, “These three young men are an asset to our community, and went well above and beyond in their work as Boston firefighters. Knowing the training these men have received from the department should make us all feel better that these men are true first responders living in our community.”
“It gives me great pleasure to announce these awards,” said McGrath. “These are truly dedicated and committed individuals who have contributed so much in their own unique ways. It is fitting for the Citizens’ Association, and the South Boston community, to honor these individuals. We will be announcing the remaining award winners next week.”
The awards will be presented at the association’s 136th Annual Evacuation Day Banquet, to be held on Friday, March 18, with a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Curragh’s Fancy will provide the entertainment, along with a host of special dignitaries. McGrath cautioned that tickets are sure to be purchased at a good pace, with so many of South Boston’s most valued community leaders receiving awards. Those planning to attend should act fast. For information on tickets, call Tom McGrath at 1-857-204-5825.
