Humanitarian winner Berry embraced leadership roles
Jack Berry, whose friends said his long record of community service is exceeded only by the size of his heart, was honored Monday by the Burlington Rotary Club with its 2015 Humanitarian Award.
Berry, 87, who served stints on the Burlington City Council and Burlington Area School District Board of Education, transcended ordinary community service with infectious enthusiasm and a can-do attitude, said those who spoke in tribute to the award winner Monday.
“In a small town, people like Jack are the ones who are the foundation and backbone of a community,” said the Rev. Scott Carson, pastor of Grace Church and a friend of Berry’s.
Jim Gulla, a retired Burlington junior high school principal who worked alongside Berry in his role on the School Board, said people like Berry make a community successful and, more importantly, make it a great place to live.
“(People like Jack) are a special breed – and in this day and age especially – I look for all the Jack Berry’s I can find,” said Gulla, adding that Berry was the first person to reach out to him socially when he moved to Burlington.
Long history of service
Berry was honored during the annual John B. Moe Burlington Rescue Squad Annual meeting and Humanitarian Dinner at Veterans Terrace. He received a plaque and was named a Paul Harris Fellow signifying a $1,000 donation to the Rotary Foundation in his name.
Although Berry earned multiple Paul Harris Fellow awards and ascended to a district governorship during his time as a Rotary Club member, award chairman Ed Nadolski explained the Humanitarian Award, by rule, does not recognize the former club member for his Rotary service, but, rather, honors Berry for his other community service.
And that list is long.
In addition to serving three terms each on the City Council and School Board, Berry was captain of the Burlington Rescue Squad with 14 years of service; was chairman of the inaugural Chocolate City Festival (the forerunner of ChocolateFest) and held the position for three years; is past president and honorary member of the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce; former co-chairman of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration; past chairman of the Memorial Hospital Ball; past board member for the Burlington Area Historical Society; and served 10 years on the city’s Police and Fire Commission.
Berry also has a distinguished record of military service having served as an infantry corporal and squad leader with the U.S. Army in Germany. He extended his support of the military as a lifetime member of the local chapters of the Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and as an ombudsman for the state chapter of Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve.
Family comes first
His daughter, Marilee Hoffman, of Burlington, said her father’s penchant for community service and willingness to step into leadership roles made a lasting impression on her and her three sisters.
“I felt that he always had to seek out that leadership role because it wasn’t good enough (just) to be a member,” Hoffman said. “When (people) started talking about what can we do to build up Burlington, I remember being so very proud of him to be on the board that initiated ChocolateFest.”
Former Mayor Jeannie Hefty said Berry was a role model to her when she ran for City Council.
“He stood out on the council when I was first (elected) an alderman and he was one of them who approached me a year later to run for mayor,” Hefty said. “He was my mentor.”
In accepting the award, Berry attributed his community service to the support of his wife of 63 years, Ruth, and the love of his four daughters – Marilee, Kathleen Cable, of Eau Claire, and Jackie Spradley and Leslie Fry, both of Fort Collins, Colo.
With his wife, daughters and other relatives gathered around for the presentation, Berry told the audience:
“Love your family first. Otherwise none of this is possible.”
Click here to view a video tribute to Berry.
-
-
-
-
-