Waltham Hero Awards: 2019 Winners

WALTHAM, MA – The 2019 Waltham Hero Award winners were announced recently. Created by the Waltham Lions Club in conjunction with Discover Waltham, the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce and the Waltham Community Access Corporation, the yearly awards recognize the unsung members of the community who help drive it forward.

The organizations act as a panel of judges and select three to five local heroes from nominees submitted by Waltham residents and businesses in three categories - business hero, community hero and unsung hero. This year, the Waltham Boys & Girls Club will also get a special award this year.

On Wednesday, March 20, the five will be recognized at the annual Waltham Heroes banquet at the Forefront Center on Wyman Street.

"We're pretty excited. We've got a lot of good people who are very unselfish and not looking for the spotlight," said organizer Richie Flynn.

Flynn said each year they sift through piles of nominations that come in by email and by forms on the website.

"We look for substantiation of why they are nominating the people," he said. The selection committee then makes calls, talks to community members to validate and verify and do a deep dive.

"It's not just that we recognize people who are leaders, it's their track record we want to highlight," he said.

The 2019 award winners are:

• Joseph L. Burgoyne III Humanitarian Award: Justin Barrett, who is the chair of the Community Preservation Committee.
• Community Hero: Marcia MacClary is the president of the board of directors for Leland Home affordable senior living. She's also a public relations specialist.
• Community Hero: Fred Wilder is the president of the Waltham Youth Baseball Association and the Little Nippers for the past 40 years.
• Unsung Hero: Pat Murphy is the fitness director at the Waltham Athletic Club, known for collecting items for people in need.
• Unsung Hero: Marcine Logue is a nurse at Mount Auburn Hospital.
• Business Hero: Sean Maloney

Read about the 2018 Winners and the 2017 Winners

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).