Our “greatest generation” deserves our greatest respect. They are our seniors and now the Boomers have joined them.
Wellesley seniors are our parents, grandparents, our neighbors, and friends. And thanks to Mary Bowers they have grand place to go: Tolles-Parsons Center.
Today she gets a well-deserved thank you. The Wellesley Celebrations Committee, a standing committee of the Select Board, Town of Wellesley honors Mary Bowers with its Special Recognition Award.
Here’s Mary story:
“Nominated by: The Wellesley Townsman
Why she was nominated:
The name Mary Bowers is a familiar one to anyone who has followed the battle over a proposed new senior center project.
For more than a decade, she has been a champion of an independent center, appearing at hearings and writing letters and refusing to accept anything less than a resounding “yes” from town voters.
“Mary’s tireless efforts advocating for the Tolles-Parsons Center reminds me of the Energizer Bunny – she just kept going and the last decade (plus!) has been full of highs and lows for the COA/TPC project but Mary never lost hope or focus,”
said Gayle Thieme, Director of Senior Services for the Wellesley Council on Aging. “She excelled at keeping others, her peers in particular, feeling optimistic and enthusiastic. There were countless occasions when I enlisted Mary’s help to ‘rally the troops’ and she always succeeded – a constant strong showing of support at important meetings, forums, etc. thanks to her determination. Mary’s infamous
tagline, ‘It’s the right thing to do and long overdue,’ has been replaced with “it’s become a reality” and she can be found eagerly talking with others about the center and all the wonderful opportunities it will offer to the entire community.”