BHCA Citizen of the Year: Tony Andreotti
By GuestThe Blue Hills Civic Association is proud to announce its 29th annual Dr. Richard J. Elkort Citizen of the Year award. This year’s recipient is Tony Andreotti.
Andreotti has been Canton’s well known veterans’ services agent for over 10 years, but his legacy of service to the town he calls home is extensive and unheralded. Born to a Canton cobbler in 1933, Andreotti attended St. John’s School and then Canton High, where he was a class officer and co-captain of the football team. During the summer he worked for the cemetery department — the first of his many Canton jobs.
Two years after high school he was drafted and proudly served during the Korean War era. After his service he attended Burdett College and earned an associate’s degree in accounting, which he used throughout his career, first at the Bank of Norfolk, and later in a valve-manufacturing business where he worked his way up to vice president and part owner.
In 1981 Andreotti began serving his first and only term as a selectman. During his term, Proposition 2 ½ had just been passed, and the board had to cut $1 million from the town budget. Although most of the cuts were later restored due to a subsequent property reevaluation, Andreotti and the other selectmen demonstrated resolute leadership when faced with this fiscal crisis.
Andreotti subsequently served as town treasurer and successfully found a replacement when he stepped down from this position. His service to the broader community has included being the chairman of the board of rectors of the Neponset Valley Hospitals, during which time he oversaw a merger with Caritas Healthcare. He has been a member in good standing with the Town Club and American Legion for many years.
But certainly Andreotti is most recently known for his years of service as the town’s veterans’ agent, where he has ensured that Canton veterans are both honored and receive access to the benefits they richly deserve, including housing, medical services, educational opportunities, and vocational assistance.
Andreotti was instrumental in 2005 in bringing the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to Canton. This traveling tribute had an estimated 20,000 visitors in Canton. Andreotti also researched, planned, and held a reunion of all veterans born in Canton — another example of his creative leadership and going above and beyond the standard duties of a veterans’ agent.
The Blue Hills Civic Association is proud to honor Tony Andreotti, one of the many citizens who make Canton the vibrant community in which we all live. Join the celebration in his honor on Monday, May 14, at the Canton Town Club. Tickets are $28 for the award dinner, which includes a silent auction to benefit the BHCA’s scholarship fund. Tickets are available by calling Sue at 781-821-0484 or Peg at 781-828-1342.
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Posted by Guest
on May 10 2012. Filed under Featured Content.
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