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Longtime resident Jim Driscoll has gone out of his way to make Melrose a better place to live. Family, says Jim Driscoll, is everything, and the city of Melrose has been very good to his family. To say thank you, Driscoll has been volunteering in the community for decades, and is this month's Hometown Hero. "It's true I've been involved with activities, but it was in appreciation," he says. "We used all the facilities, like the Y and Mount Hood, and we have a lot to be thankful for." Driscoll was nominated by Beth McNelis, the executive director of the Melrose Chamber of Commerce. "Every time I look at the list of fund raisers on a major building, his name is always there," says McNelis. "He's just a giver of his time." Born in Westfield, Driscoll moved to Melrose at the age of 10 and has lived here ever since. Now 74, he was raised in a family of 10 children, then went on to have six of his own with his wife, Barbara. "I had a tremendous mother and father," Driscoll says "We have all kinds of stories." Above is Jim, Barbara and seven of their grandchildren. After graduating Melrose High School in 1942, Driscoll spent three years in the Navy during World War II. He is a member of the Boston College class of '51, and worked for the John Hancock Life Insurance Co. for more than 30 years. Driscoll has taught Sunday school and coached Pop Warner football but most of his volunteerism has involved fund raising. His first experience was raising money for renovations to the Melrose YMCA in 1979. "It was natural for me to get involved with the Y because my kids took classes," he says. "This was my first indoctrination into fund raising." Six years and $4.7 million later, the Y added a new gymnasium and three stories to accommodate office space and new classes. "I step in there and feel a sense of pride," says Driscoll. Through that experience, Driscoll met many members of city's business community and became a member of the Chamber of Commerce's board of directors, serving from 1989 to 1997. He and then Executive Director Jean Gorman put together the Adopt-A-Site program in 1992. Driscoll's days at the Y also served him well when it was time to create the Milano Senior Center. Previously, the building was an equipment shed used by the school department. "I found out the project had gotten a large grant, and I got very excited," Driscoll says. "So (then Mayor) Dick Lyons said to me, 'Well, if you're so excited, maybe you should participate."' Driscoll says to raise money effectively, one needs to determine exactly how much is needed. One also needs to know where most of the funding will come from, for example, grants or corporate donations, he explains. "It takes a lot of people and a lot of man hours," he says. "To step right out is a little overly optimistic. The greatest vehicle is enthusiasm and energy; but then I collapse." The Milano Senior Center project, for example, required $350,000. Driscoll says they had raised $300,000 when Patrick Guerriero, then Melrose's state representative, asked how it was going. "I told him we were doing great, but I was concerned because it was summer and I didn't want to lose the momentum," he says. "Three weeks later, Patrick gave us the last $50,000 from a special state grant. In retirement, Driscoll is a frequent face at the senior center he helped create. He is a member of the Silver Stringers, a group of senior citizens who publish The Melrose Mirror, an on-line magazine of articles submitted by Melrose residents. "I don't know where we'd be without him," says Frances Bertulli, the senior center's coordinator. "He's a great man with a nice sense of humor. He always says hello and smiles." Driscoll is also on the Council on Aging board and is a member of the Melrose High School Beautification Committee. Driscoll says all of his experiences have been met with tremendous and positive receptions. "Some of the donations were quite a chunk," says Driscoll. "It's a tribute to the community that they open up their pocket-books. Volunteerism in Melrose is powerful. There are enough names to have a Hometown Hero every day." Originally published in THE MELROSE FREE PRESS Feb 4, 1999. Reprinted in the Melrose Mirror with permission of the Melrose Free Press. February 19, 1999
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