Now Honored, Holland-Buckley Has Served Guilford For 4 Decades

GUILFORD, CT — Terry Holland-Buckley has been working for the town of Guilford for more than four decades. Her first job was as a part time employment program monitor in 1978, the year thatJimmy Carter was president, the Bee Gees ruled the airwaves, video games were born and a great blizzard crippled the region.

Holland-Buckley has “always gone beyond the call of duty,” colleagues said, especially in her role as Guilford Seniors supervisor for the past decade.

Holland-Buckley who started as a part-time CETA Program Monitor, has been a full-time town of Guilford employee since 1982, and has served in her current role since 2010.

First Selectman Matt Hoey announced she’s been honored with the Guilford Employee Recognition Award for January 2021.

Hoey, who initiated this program, has encouraged employees to nominate other employees who should be recognized for outstanding achievement and performance in their work.

The Employee Recognition Awards Committee reviewed multiple applications and selected Holland-Buckley, who was nominated by Parks and Recreation director Rick Maynard, Seniors assistant Patti Haggerty, and Social Services director Tammy DeFrancesco.

“Terry is clearly a superstar,” Maynard said. “As the population of seniors has grown, so has Terry’s responsibilities. Her job performance is stellar, her dedication remarkable, and her customer service beyond any I have seen anywhere.”

Maynard said that before the pandemic, she coordinated lunches with entertainment, hosted evening events such as dinners and movies, dinner dances, and a ‘Senior Prom,’ while still making sure our seniors had transportation for doctor’s appointments, errands, and other trips.
And when the pandemic hit in early 2020, and since, she’s “made sure that our seniors were cared for” by coordinating hundreds of grocery store shopping trips so residents could remain safe in their homes.

“We certainly have one of the best senior programs in the state and it is no accident since Terry Holland-Buckley is at the helm,” Maynard said.

Haggerty said it’s “hard to find someone” with a work ethic like Holland-Buckley’s.

“Terry is always willing to help others as she is a kind hearted, selfless person,” she said. “She goes beyond the call of duty and takes pride in her work. She is a pleasure to work with and it is hard to find someone like her with such outstanding work ethics.”

DeFrancesco said Holland-Buckley played a “major role as part of a team effort” when there was an emergency refrigeration issue at the Guilford Food Bank.

“With others, Terry helped ensure that the Park and Recreation generator was set-up at the Guilford Food Bank preventing food from spoiling after a major storm had caused a power outage,” DeFrancesco said.

Holland-Buckley received a framed Employee Recognition Award certificate and a gift card from Hoey in recognition of her achievement.