Hamilton Woman Awarded Top Senior Service Honor

A Hamilton woman was this year’s recipient of the Myra L. Herrick Outstanding Older American Award from SeniorCare.

Betty Dunbar received the award at SeniorCare’s annual meeting on Sept. 28 at the historic Gould Barn in Topsfield. Dunbar was recognized for her years of community engagement helping seniors, plus her volunteer efforts as both a long time Meals on Wheels driver and volunteer member of SeniorCare’s Advisory Council.

Dunbar said she was particularly moved to have received this award in light of her friendship with the late Herrick, who was a former President of SeniorCare, Regional Executive Director of New England AARP and the first female chairwoman of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs’ Citizens Advisory Committee.

Dunbar said it was Herrick herself who convinced her to become more involved as an elder advocate.

SeniorCare serves Hamilton and Wenham, plus several other North Shore communities including Beverly, Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Manchester, Rockport and Topsfield. It’s president in Wenham resident Tom Tanous.

After the breakfast and business meeting, the Rosemary F. Kerry Community Service Award was also presented to Mayor Bill Scanlon of Beverly in recognition of his efforts to preserve funding for Beverly’s senior center, his assistance in renovating or building elementary schools, restoring and renovating Beverly High School and many other projects.

The keynote speaker for the meeting was Rev. David Forsythe, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Manchester-by-the-Sea. The awards ceremony had the theme of “Honor and Remember” out of respect for the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Forsythe talked about his experiences as a member of the fire service as a Chaplain, and how he went to help the Fire Department of the City of New York in that capacity after the attacks.

SeniorCare, in addition to celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of people such as Dunbar, Forsythe and Scanlon, is grateful for the bravery all of the first responders who generally go toward danger when others flee, said SeniorCare’s public relations director Anne Springer.