Willard P. Hunnewell
Chief of Staff and Oldest Veteran
One of the great privileges of living 100 years is the opportunity to do so much good for your country, for your family, and for our town.
Willard P. Hunnewell has performed a century of achievement.
With a large thank you from the entire town, The Wellesley Celebrations Committee, a standing committee of the Select Board, Town of Wellesley honors Willard Hunnewell as both our CHIEF OF STAFF and THE OLDEST VETERAN.
Willard is the great-grandson of Wellesley benefactor Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, whose family home “Wellesley” inspired the name of this great town in 1881. A 1943 graduate of Harvard University, Willard served our Country in World War II as a U.S. Navy navigator in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. He owned Apco Mossberg Company, which created precision instruments and tools including those used in the jewelry industry.
The many beautiful trees you see surrounding Lake Waban are there through the care and nurturing of Willard Hunnewell. As caretaker for the Pinetum a collection of pine and conifer trees from around the world created by H.H. Hunnewell and located on the Hunnewell estate.
Mr. Hunnewell has pursued a lifetime passion for nature through numerous horticulture associations, including as a member and past president of the Massachusetts Horticulture Association, as a Charles River Watershed Association volunteer, as a respected beekeeper managing multiple hives on the Hunnewell property.
A moral and social leader in our community. Willard strong character, dedication to Wellesley, and joy of life, enriches and beautifies the town we share.
Willard Hunnewell has had the blessings of opportunity to spread not only the gifts of charity but also the beauty of nature making our town a showplace of sustainability.
Thank you, Willard Hunnewell for all you have done.