Hansen surprises past principal Joe Trovato with portrait unveiling

Current Hansen School Principal John Maxwell, second from right, is pictured with his three predecessors (l-r) Bill Griffin, Joe Trovato and Larry Walsh.

Last fall the Hansen School unveiled a portrait and learning center in honor of recently retired principal Bill Griffin. When Griffin’s portrait was added to a wall in the lobby, a group of veteran teachers realized the Hansen now had portraits honoring two of the school’s three past principals — Griffin and the school’s first principal, Larry Walsh.

The group of teachers approached current principal John Maxwell to see if a similar picture could be hung in the lobby to honor the Hansen’s second principal, Joseph Trovato. Maxwell worked with a network of retired teachers to plan the unveiling ceremony, which took place June 16 and included friends and former colleagues.

Although Trovato worked as the principal at the Hansen for just five years — a relatively short stint when compared with his predecessor and successor — he is remembered in the community as a career teacher in the Canton Public Schools.

“Sometimes nowadays people look at teaching as a job,” said Karen Smith, a former second grade teacher at the Hansen who worked with Trovato for 25 years. “It wasn’t just a way to earn a paycheck. To Joe, it was a profession.”

Trovato’s teaching career began in 1959 when he taught sixth grade at the Eliot School. In the next decade he worked as a fifth grade teacher and assistant principal at the Luce and Kennedy schools before moving to the Hansen where he remained until his retirement in 1995.

It’s not surprising that Trovato left quietly after his 36 years with the Canton schools; friends and colleagues were quick to describe him as a humble person who was happy doing great things while remaining unnoticed.

“Joe is the kind of guy who didn’t like to do things in the limelight,” said Smith, who spoke at the unveiling ceremony. “When I gave my little talk, humble is the word I used to describe him. When you think of Joe, you think of someone who is humble.”

Trovato learned of the unveiling ceremony six weeks ago. “When I first heard, I felt honored,” he said. “I certainly didn’t expect anything like this.”

Joe Trovato

Trovato described the ceremony as “a thrill,” adding that he was both happy and surprised by the number of former colleagues who showed up to honor his career.

Asked about his favorite memories in the Canton schools, Trovato said it was difficult to pick one and instead discussed the camaraderie he felt between administrators and teachers.

“As an administrator, I guess it’s like a ball team, you’ve got to have teamwork,” he said. “That’s one quality I saw in all the buildings I worked at, and that says a lot about the teachers who work in Canton.”

Front row (l-r): Patricia Flynn, Ann Galvin, Bill Griffin, Joe Trovato, Larry Walsh, Addie Carrara, Joan White, Rosemary Haddad, Linda DeBenedictis; back row (l-r): Karen Smith, Janet Trocchio, Claire Landrigan, Ann O’Malley, Beverly Lowrey, Paul Callahan, Virginia McGagh, Ann MacIntyre, Wilma Berardi, Marion Feeney

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