LYNNFIELD ― Two residents selected for the 2021 Daniel Townsend Award for Excellence for their contributions to the community will be honored before the Town Meeting on Monday.
The recipients of the award are Ellen Rubbico Crawford and Dr. Robert Weiss, the latter of whom passed away suddenly on May 6 at 84.
Select Board Chair Dick Dalton referred to Crawford as the town’s “public relations quarterback.”
“Ellen has worked for decades on a variety of different projects with many organizations,” said Dalton. “She made a real difference in the coming of MarketStreet Lynnfield. She was a driving force, leading the campaign in the community, holding coffees to enlist resident’s support. Back then it was done the old-fashioned way without social media, and she’s the best at that.”
Crawford said that she was honored to be recognized for her years of volunteering and to be counted among the many kind and generous residents that have given so much of themselves to Lynnfield.
“I’m passionate about doing whatever I can to help improve the quality of life in our town, as so many others have done in the past, like Dr. Weiss, and continue to do today, she said. “It’s an honor to join the ranks of so many talented and dedicated people who have received this award.”
Crawford is a member of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors and also serves on the Governor’s Board of the Massachusetts Homeownership Advisory.
Crawford has also been active in the school community, doing just about anything a person can do for more than 30 years. She served as a PTO member from 1990-2009 and chaired the Summer Street School Pumpkin Fair and Auction for 12 years, raising more than $200,000 for several school improvement projects, including playground equipment and media center upgrades.
Active with the Lynnfield Athletic Association and Moving On ceremonies at both the Summer Street and Middle Schools and the Post-Prom Committee at the high school, Crawford was also a key member of the district’s 2000 and 2021 school-building improvement projects.
Weiss was nominated by Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin. His most lasting Lynnfield legacy was his role in the creation of L.I.F.E. (Lynnfield Initiatives For Elders) incorporation, a senior housing development that had its origins in the early 1980s.
“While Dr. Weiss’s service to the Town as an elected member of these boards was laudable on its own, he stands out among the many fine Lynnfield public servants I have known for his singular vision and execution of an idea that has benefitted Lynnfield for decades and will continue to benefit Lynnfield for decades to come: LIFE, Inc.,” Curtin said.
Shortly after the school department declared it no longer needed the old Center School on Main Street, Weiss sprung into action.
“Bob saw that this created an opportunity to achieve a community goal: allowing aging Lynnfield residents who had contributed to the community over their years as residents to continue to live in a community they love,” Curtin said. “He was the driving force behind the concept and the approval process which saw local boards, committees, and town meetings grant the approvals needed that brought this concept to fruition. He was also instrumental in developing the unique relationship between the Town and LIFE, Inc. that has served as an inspiration and model for many other communities.”
Center Village on Main Street was the first “village.” It contains 16 one-bedroom and 44 two-bedroom units in 11 buildings spread over five acres.
After the success of Center Village, Weiss worked with Malcolm Smith to create a second “village” ― Essex Village ― to meet the growing demand for housing units. Located on an 11-acre parcel on Essex Street, Essex Village has 66 two-bedroom units. With the development of MarketStreet Lynnfield, a third L.I.F.E. development named Colonial Village was completed in early 2015.
“Although Bob was not involved with the creation of Colonial Village, no one can deny that its existence is the result of Bob’s vision and determination,” said Curtin. “I think that it is fitting that the town acknowledge its debt to his contributions, and I believe Bob Weiss epitomized the selfless dedication to community for which the Daniel Townsend Award was created.”
