SAUGUS — Town Meeting members voted unanimously Tuesday to officially rename the Saugus Senior Center after longtime resident Richard “Dick” Barry, who died in October at the age of 89.
Initially proposed by Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano, the article to rename the building the Richard K. Barry Senior Center was submitted to Town Meeting by the board earlier this month.
During Tuesday’s special Town Meeting, Barry’s daughter, Kathleen Capobianco, said renaming the center in her father’s honor would be the perfect way to remember a man who spent most of his life serving the Saugus community.
“Naming the Senior Center after my dad would be the utmost honor to end a lifetime of dedication to community service,” Capobiano said. “My dad loved the town of Saugus, and the town of Saugus loved him.”
Barry was a fixture in the town and spent four decades serving on the Saugus Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and as a member of Town Meeting.
He and Cogliano served together on the Saugus Board of Selectmen when Cogliano was first appointed to the board in 1991 at age 24.
“He was a great resource for me as someone with all that knowledge and wisdom,” Cogliano told The Item on February 4. “If I had questions, I could go to him any time. He was just a good mentor.”
In 1995, the board began to implement its Capital Improvement Plan, which centered around a number of local projects that included renovations at Town Hall, a new police and fire station, a new Department of Public Works building, and a new senior center on Central Street.
Each selectman spearheaded a different part of the plan, and Cogliano said Barry served as an enthusiastic liaison between the board and the town when it came to the Saugus Senior Center’s construction.
Barry would later spend 10 years as president of the town’s Council on Aging.
“Dick just really championed it. He did a great job and was heavily involved at the center,” Cogliano said. “I’ve thought of putting Dick’s name on that building for years. When he passed away, I thought it would be a great honor for him.”
Selectwoman Debra Panetta credited Barry as one of the main reasons she became involved in town politics.
“He gave so much of his life to make Saugus a better place for each and every one of us,” she said. “He was kind, generous, and always a gentleman.”
Town Meeting member Peter Manoogian added: “People have accomplishments, and Dick had those, but what makes a person memorable is how they make you feel at the end of the day.
“Dick had that capacity to show you respect, dignity, and he made you feel good about working with him. I think in many respects that’s a lost art in all levels of government, and if we can aspire, all of us, to reflect that, I think we’d all be better off as a community and as a nation,” he said.
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
