Orange Democrats Announce 2017 O’Sullivan Award Winner

Shared by the Orange Democratic Town Committee

ORANGE, CT — In honor of the O’Sullivan family of Orange’s legacy of public service, the Orange Democratic Town Committee established the O’Sullivan award to be given annually in recognition of an Orange resident for outstanding community service through their involvement in local, state or national government.

The award is named in honor of the O’Sullivan family whose tradition of public service spans four generations. The fourth generation of O’Sullivan’s to serve the Orange community, are well known to many. Patrick B. O’Sullivan is the current Orange Town Clerk and a former State Representative, Selectman and member of the Board of Finance. His brother, David, is the Executive Director of the Downtown Community Soup Kitchen.

This year’s award recipient is Trish Pearson. Trish began her community involvement in the same way as many in her role as “Mom”. Her first “cause” was improving the Toddler Playgroup room at the High Plains Community Center, followed by stints as president of the Orange Community Nursery School and Mary L. Tracy PTA. Then it was on to Little League where she and her husband, Glenn, managed the snack bar. Her philosophy is if you want to create change, you better be willing to help.

Trish’s community participation broadened when she became part of the Sousa administration and then grew under the Goldblatt administration. She was the first woman appointed to the Orange Police Commission and went on to be elected Chairman.

Celebrations that bring the community together have long been her passion. She chaired the 375th Jubilee Committee which grew into the creation of the Special Events Committee. Together with a dedicated team, they produced the Holiday Festival and Tree Lighting, Flag Day and Veterans’ Day events, the Summer Concert series, and 4th of July Fireworks. She was subsequently elected to the Board of Selectmen where she served five terms.

Trish’s other public service passion is Rotary. She has been a member of the Orange Rotary for more than 20 years and has served on many committees on the District level. She will serve as District Governor in 2017-18. In this role, she continues to work for better communities –both here and abroad.

Trish’s introduction to politics came at a very young age. Growing up in Massachusetts, her father was active politically serving as the campaign manager for a US Congressman and Trish began working with him in Washington D.C. “I saw the political arena as an effective way to improve lives and enact change. Unfortunately, that is not as true today,” Pearson said. After joining the Orange Democratic Town Committee, Trish served in many roles including as Chair. She currently is a member of the Democratic State Central Committee representing Orange, Milford and West Haven.

Professionally, Trish is the principal at Trish Pearson Insurance Services, LLC specializing in health, life, disability, and senior insurance plans. She and her husband, Glenn, have one son, Patrick. Trish is very anxious about her next “service” role as grandmother of Hannah Marie who was born in January. “Grandchildren are perhaps the most compelling reason that we must continue to work for a better world. I am humbled and honored to receive the O’Sullivan award and proud to be in the company of the two previous recipients, Paul Davis and Robert Shanley – both outstanding public servants.”

A dinner in her honor will be held at Birchwoods of Oak Lane on March 22. Tickets are $65 each and can be obtained by contacting Jen Alfaro at alfarofamily2001@gmail.com.