Recorder seeks Citizen of the Year nominations

Greenfield Recorder Citizen of the Year Ben Clark speaks at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast at Deerfield Academy in December 2023.

Greenfield Recorder Citizen of the Year Ben Clark speaks at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast at Deerfield Academy in December 2023. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

A standing ovation for Greenfield Recorder Citizen of the Year Ben Clark with his family table at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast at Deerfield Academy in December 2023.

A standing ovation for Greenfield Recorder Citizen of the Year Ben Clark with his family table at the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast at Deerfield Academy in December 2023. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By DAN CROWLEY

Executive Editor

Published: 10-16-2024 9:58 AM

Modified: 10-30-2024 11:57 AM


The Greenfield Recorder is once again seeking nominations for its Citizen of the Year, an honor given annually to a person who has made significant contributions to the life and community of Franklin County.

This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the tradition, which celebrates those who have shown a deep commitment to community and public service. While many past Citizens of the Year have been recognized for a lifetime of achievement, the honor is open to anyone — prominent or not — whose work or volunteerism is deserving of recognition. Nominations must be received by Monday, Nov. 4.

“For the past 41 years, the Recorder has been recognizing leaders in Franklin County who often go unnoticed while they are quietly doing the work that moves this community forward. It is our honor to continue shining the spotlight on those who walk among us and lead, often without fanfare,” Recorder Publisher Shawn Palmer said. “If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for all that they do, please nominate them today. Perhaps they will be the next Greenfield Recorder Citizen of the Year.”

In 2023, the Recorder honored Ben Clark, a fourth-generation member of Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield. Clark was recognized for his contributions to Deerfield and Franklin County, including his advocacy for the agricultural community and support of local food systems, his service as a volunteer firefighter and for saving a woman’s life during torrential rainstorms in July 2023.

The year prior, the Recorder honored Kirsten Levitt, executive director and chef of Stone Soup Cafe, the pay-what-you-can meal program serving weekly meals from All Souls Church on Main Street in Greenfield. Levitt was recognized for her work in food justice and community building, which has profoundly impacted Franklin County for more than a decade.

Previous honorees were Carolyn Shores Ness for her decades of community service, including with the United Way of Franklin County, the Franklin County Community Development Corporation, the Girls Club of Greenfield and her many roles in Deerfield government (2021). In 2020, the honor was bestowed on Susan Samoriski, who founded and served as executive director of the Mary Lyon Foundation in Buckland for 30 years until her retirement.

Other past Citizen of the Year recipients were Robert “Robbie” Cohn, a businessman who has served on numerous boards (2019); David Chichester, who served in 10 volunteer positions for his former town of Conway (2018); and Robert Pura, former president of Greenfield Community College, who retired the following year (2017).

How to nominate

Nominations can be submitted online at recorder.com or by using the QR code with this article. Look for an online nomination form in the middle of the Recorder’s homepage. One also can send a written statement with as much detail about why someone deserves to be Citizen of the Year to the Greenfield Recorder by mail to Recorder Citizen of the Year, P.O. Box 1367, Greenfield, MA, 01302. Include your name, address, phone number and email, and the same information for the person you are nominating.

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An advertisement is running regularly in the Recorder as a reminder. Nominees who weren’t chosen in the past can be considered with a new nomination this year.

A committee consisting of the Recorder’s editorial board and volunteers from the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce board, as well as the previous recipient of the Citizen of the Year award, will review the nominations. The editorial board will make the final decision regarding a winner.

The honoree will be celebrated at a breakfast hosted by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and Recorder on Dec. 20. The Citizen of the Year also will be featured in a story on the front page of the newspaper.

The Citizen of the Year will receive $500, half of which will be donated to a charity of the honoree’s choice.

Other past winners include Joan Vander Vliet, Al Dray, Elizabeth Hollingsworth and Philip Gilmore of Deerfield; Pearl Care of Erving; Theodore Martineau of Montague City; Rolland Gifford, Marion Taylor and Marvin Shippee of Shelburne Falls; Ann Hamilton, Amy Clarke, Marjorie Reid, Edward Tombs, Irmarie Jones, Jean Cummings, David McCarthy, Charles Carter and Arline Cohn of Greenfield; Marie Putala, the Rev. Stanley Aksamit, John Carey, Shirley Lovett and Richard Kimball of Turners Falls; Albert Diemand and Theodore Lewis of Wendell; Frank R. “Bud” Foster and William Shores of Bernardston; Marian Holbrook and Raymond Zukowski of Northfield; Allan Adie of Gill; Clifford Fournier, Marty Picard and Geneva Lawson of Orange; and Adelia Bardwell of Whately.

Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@recorder.com.