2013
2013 COLLEEN & COURT
On February 16th at the Cedars Banquet Hall in Springfield, MA, the 2013 Springfield Colleen, MaryKate Sullivan, was crowned.
Shown from left to right are the 2013 Colleen and her court, Alexa de Villiar of Springfield,Hannah McFarlin Epstein of Longmeadow, Colleen MaryKate Sullivan of Springfield, Darcy Ann Fortune of Palmer, and Christina Zuraw of East Longmeadow
2013 Mossie and Kathleen Murphy Scholarship
The winner of the 2013 Mossie and Kathleen Murphy Scholarship is MaryKate Sullivan of Springfield.
She was chosen from a group of twelve applicants at this years' Colleen Premliminaries held at the John Boyle O'Reilly club on January 12th.
Ed has served as the Chairman of the Board at Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer, a Trustee at American International College, and as Director for WestMass Area Development Corporation. Ed is also a Board member of the Mass. Oil Heat Council, and a founding Director of the National Oil heat Research Alliance (NORA) in Washington, D.C.
Ed has been a longtime supporter of the parade committee and all of its endeavors. Ed was integral in establishing the AIC scholarship offered to contestants of the Springfield Colleen Contest. If selected this scholarship offers the young woman attending AIC $40,000 towards her education. Ed also was the 2008 recipient of the Springfield St Patrick’s Parade Committee Appreciation Award.
Ed resides with wife, Ellen, in Wilbraham and is a devoted father to Jennifer, Kara, Moira, Meghan, Ted, Shelley and Ryan, and a proud grandfather.
John Goonan
The John and Agnes Burke Award is presented annually in memory of both
John and Agnes Burke for their lifelong commitment and support to their
Irish heritage and this year we feel we have picked a man who is also proud of
his Irish heritage and has shown outstanding service to the Irish Community,
the City of Springfield and the John Boyle O’Reilly Club. John traces his
roots back to County Mayo, Ireland.
John is the son of the late John J. Goonan and Margaret (Goonan) McLane, and was raised in Chicopee Falls with his four brothers, (Peter, Michael, James and Christopher) and three sisters (Margaret, Noreen and Deborah). John attended St. Patrick’s School in Chicopee and Alvord Elementary School, Taylor Jr. High School and Chicopee Comprehensive High School. John was employed as a sheet metal machinist for 22 years with Progressive Tool in Southwick and is currently employed with the Springfield School Department. John is a longtime supporter of the John Boyle O’Reilly Club and all its endeavors and activities and his support and commitment is invaluable. He is also a very active member of the honor guard as well as an active volunteer for any event.
John is a widower and currently resides in (Indian Orchard) Springfield. He is a true friend to all who know him. John is honored and grateful that the St. Patrick’s Parade Committee chose him to receive the John & Agnes Burke Award.
Alesia Barbaro
Born in Springfield, she is the daughter of the late Arthur and Eileen Buckley Kenyon. Her closest Irish lineage, the McMahons and O’Connors, are from Ballybunion, Co. Kerry, with John McMahon getting his citizenship in Boston in 1903. Alesia is a graduate of Classical High school and Western New England University. In college she majored in Accounting with concentration in Management. She worked in the banking industry for twenty years, mostly as an Assistant Vice President. She left banking for a management position at Friendly’s to be closer to Springfield to help her ailing parents. She has two sisters and two brothers with three of them still living in Springfield. She currently resides in Ludlow with her husband Michael and her crazy Weimeraner dog named “Ronan”.
As co-chair of the Parade Committee’s colleen committee, Alesia is responsible for making colleen applications available throughout area high schools, colleges, churches and the Irish community. She organizes our Colleen Preliminary and the program agenda for the Coronation Ball and Awards Presentaton. She serves as advisor and chaperone to our young women who are striving to become Springfield Colleen, as well as helps the young ladies through the interviewing process, coaching them and calming their butterflies which they may have before they reach the stage. As a former Co-President and Treasurer she was instrumental in achieving nonprofit status for our committee. As co-chair of our Program Book she solicits ads which are of great financial benefit to the parade committee. Alesia is also a member of the Irish Cultural Center at the Elms and the John Boyle O’Reilly Club where she has been treasurer of the John Boyle O’Reilly Scholarship Committee.
She is immensely proud of her accomplishments as an Irish dancer with both the Griffith and McDermott Academy of Irish Dance and of her many journeys to Ireland with many more to come. In her spare time she hopes to trace her other Irish Roots.
Ellie Longtin
Ellen “Ellie” Mae (Cavanaugh) Longtin grew up in East Springfield, the daughter of
John J. and Mary Rita Cavanaugh. She has five sisters. Ellie attended Technical High
School and North Adams State College. She is married to Edward “Eddie” T. Longtin
and they have five children (Michael, Jason, MaryEllen, Kellie & Gannon) and six
grandchildren (Devan, Hannah, Madelyn, Elizabeth, Lucas & Sam) They have lived
on Hungry Hill for the past 27 years.
Her ancestors arrived in America passing through Ellis Island from County Sligo
and Shannon Bridge. Family names include Cavanaugh, Devine, Gannon and
McCann. She recently discovered that she is also a “Kerry Girl”, while tracing her
roots back to Dingle and the Blasket Islands.
Ellie worked in the banking industry for 18 years, spent 12 years with Ironworkers
Local 357) as their Annuity Fund Manager and Adm. Aide. She has worked at the
John Boyle O’Reilly Club and Rory Fitzgeralds for the past 4 1⁄2 years and a bartended
for 26 years.
Ellie is a member of the John Boyle O’Reilly club, the first female member of the
Marconi Club in Springfield, belonged to the American Legion Unit 430, making
sure that each club had a touch of “Irish” she held a Corned Beef Dinner for a
Fundraiser each year. She held many offices and chaired many events.
As a member of this parade committee, Ellie is the recording secretary. She has
worked on the Parade Marshall’s Reception, the Mass and Flag Raising, and helps out
wherever she is needed. But she found her niche as chairperson of the Fundraising
Committee. She started a “Calendar Raffle” for the month of March, and last year
she got the parade committee and award winners together to make and sell 780
Mutton Pies.
Ellie & Eddie love to travel, some of their destinations included Hawaii, Alaska,
Bermuda, Las Vegas, Florida, Bahamas, Chicago and all the East Coast States. Ellie
is very happy, that she finally made it to Ireland, this past August, along with her
husband Eddie and daughter Kellie, traveling with the JBO to see the Fighting Irish
of Notre Dame. The Emerald Isle is as breathtakingly beautiful as she had imagined!
Ellie has always been extremely proud of her Irish Heritage, her favorite color being “GREEN” way before she knew they went together! Ellie would like to Thank the Parade Committee for this Great Honor !
The Appreciation Award is given to a person or business that is not a member of the Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee that has given outstanding service to the committee. This year we are renaming the Appreciation Award to the Mary B. Troy Appreciation Award to honor the late Mary Brigid Troy. Mary was a longtime member of the Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee who contributed many hours of her time her time selflessly to the committee. Instrumental in the many works of the committee she co-chaired the Ball Committee for many years bringing elegance and culture together in the night’s venue. As a proud lifelong resident of Hungry Hill, she made sure the culture of Ireland stayed alive, especially through her annual St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Hungry Hill center, which she ran for 28 years.
Alan and Paula Siok are the first recipents of the Mary B. Troy Appreciation. We could not have picked better people. They represent what the award is all about.
Alan and Paula Siok are third generation Polish immigrant farmers. With grandparents coming to this country through Ellis Island, the Sioks started their own business after several Polish families sponsored them so they might start a new life in the US.
Alan and Paula live on a 43 acre farm in Ludlow and they presently tend to grass fed beef cattle and a bountiful brood of laying chickens. Alan has owned and operated his own construction business in Ludlow since 1981. Paula tends to the office end of the business, but shares she would rather be golfing.
For the past few years Alan and Paul have graciously donated their farm space, trailer and barn to the Springfield Parade Committee for the use in the creation, storage and towing of the colleen float. Both of these years producing award winning floats.
The entire Springfield Parade Committee greatly appreciates the generosity of the Siok Family.