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The following is her announcement:
For the past two and a half years there was not a day
that went by that I didn’t think about whom would be my choice for Chief
Marshal of the 225th celebration.
I had three requirements for this person. One, I
wanted someone with a military background, two, someone who loves the
Fourth of July as much as I do and third, someone who loves Bristol as
much as I do.
A favorite quote of mine by the poet, Dr. Maya Angelou
definitely describes my Chief Marshal and is also one of the reasons I
chose this person. She says, “I’ve learned that people will forget what
you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget
how you made them feel.”
Patriotism was ingrained early on by his parents. His
father was a Navy flier in WWI ferrying planes between France and
England while stationed in France. Another example of patriotism being
instilled was his mother’s insistence that her family stand for the
national anthem (in the living room prior to the Friday night fights on
TV).
This year’s Chief Marshal was born on June 30th,
1939 in Rochester, NY and resided in the small town of Newark in western
New York State until his marriage in 1964. He attended Newark schools
through the 10th grade participating on the varsity tennis
team and then on to sophomore year at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA
graduating in 1958. While at Deerfield he was Business Manager for the
Yearbook and was on the varsity cross-country and track teams. Following
his father to Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH he graduated in 1962 with
a degree in History and membership in SAE fraternity and the Sphinx
Senior Honorary Society. His interest in running continued in college as
a member of the freshman and varsity cross-country and track teams
(running 5 miles in cross-country and the quarter mile in track. He held
the Dartmouth College freshman quarter mile record (as he says for only
one year) and he and three teammates set the college mile relay record
several times.
His father always told him that if the military was a
consideration make the navy your choice. “You get three square meals a
day and a dry bunk”. Again,
following his father into the military he joined the US Navy prior to
college graduation, attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and
was commissioned an Ensign in the spring of 1963. Having requested the
duty, he was ordered aboard an ice breaker, the USS Glacier-the largest
and most powerful icebreaker in the free world and made 2 cruises to
McMurdo Sound, Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze in 1963-64
and l964-65. Then back to Officer Candidate School in Newport as an
instructor and finally back to civilian life in July, 1967 having
attained the rank of Lieutenant. He could have easily continued in the
Navy, but looming separations from family drove the decision to leave.
He said that he always thought that every American should serve their
country in some capacity and he is proud he did.
Employment with IBM started in September, 1967 as a
Systems Engineer in Providence (actually he says he was hired as a
salesman, but IBM and he soon recognized the error in their ways).
He retired from IBM in 2000 after 32 ½ rewarding years.
Married in 1964 to the light of his life, Gaylord,
they had 4 sons – Stuart III, Palmer, Traxson, and Bowman; 5
grandchildren-Stuart Dudley IV, Spencer, Abigail, and Emma and 1 Golden
Retriever.
During his military years their temporary addresses
included Brookline, MA, Arlington, MA and Middletown, RI finally
residing in East Greenwich, RI in 1967 for 30 years. Activities during
this time included fundraising for the March of Dimes and Multiple
Sclerosis in the form of walk-a-thons and bike-a-thons, being somewhat a
fixture at the Blood Center in Providence to the tune of approximately
50 pints, and 9 years as a Little League coach (favorite memory being
when his missing left fielder was found at the doughboy truck).
“Finally coming to their senses” he says, they moved to Bristol
in 1997 and he eventually joined the 4th of July Committee.
He was also a member of the State
Street Dock Upgrade Committee (as he says,
“It is hard to say “No” to Diane Mederos”).
My Chief Marshal became a member of the Fourth of July
Committee, thanks to my Dad, John Partington. They were introduced to
each other by the late Lydia Miserandino whose husband was a past
general chairman and a friend of my parents. My dad thought the Fourth
of July Committee would be a good organization for him to join. Little
did he know that his suggestion was going to be the best thing that
happened to the Fourth of July Committee and the town of Bristol.
In the 2008 Souvenir Book, Manny Correira wrote an
article about our Chief Marshal saying, “Bristol seems like it’s adopted
a man whose ideals and sense of patriotism are superlative in every
way.” Bristol has certainly adopted him not only because of his ideals
and sense of patriotism but because of his sense of humor, tireless
energy for Bristol and the Fourth of July Celebration and how he makes
everyone he works with feel important and appreciated. He is one of the
reasons I decided to be General Chairman of this Committee. I knew I
would have his support from start to finish and he has been there every
step of the way.
I think of the writer Faith Popcorn’s quote when I
think of our Chief Marshal; “This is a dream as old as America itself;
give me a piece of land to call my own, a little town where everyone
knows my name.”
He and his wife have found that piece of land here in
Bristol and certainly everyone who meets him not only knows his name but
can’t help but love him.
He is no stranger to most of you-I would like now to
introduce the Chief Marshal for the 225th Bristol 4th
of July Celebration- Dudley Hallagan.
My Civilian Aides are longstanding friends
from pre-Bristol days and new friends from the wonderful town of Bristol
and its environs:
Dianne Brule, Paul Brule, Paul
Castro, Tricia Cyr
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