“Major Stephen Reich is the embodiment of the tradition of service which defines our community.  His tireless efforts in the classroom, on the baseball field, and on the battlefield are an inspiration to all of us.  I am grateful to the town and the Reich family for allowing us to honor a Washingtonian or local group each year in Stephen’s memory, as it has allowed us to highlight the dedicated volunteers and wonderful civic organizations that make our town great.

I would like to expand upon a couple of themes that this year’s award winner wrote in a newsletter just last month.  She wrote of the delicate balance between two of life’s themes, change, and continuity.  She marveled at how this community skillfully navigated all the changes brought on by the pandemic, while still managing to maintain the continuity of all the wonderful characteristics that make Washington the wonderful town we all love.  I saw some comparisons with Stephen’s award.  Our award has certainly evolved over these past 16 years, but I believe its continuity has provided the town with a consistent way to highlight the dedicated volunteers and wonderful civic organizations that make Washington such a desirable place to live and raise a family.

The Reich award evolved again this year as we are, very sadly, conferring our first posthumous award.  Although we recently lost our award winner far too young, her contributions to our community are certainly worthy of our respect and honor.

Our award winner’s achievements have helped shape Washington into the coveted "small-town American" community we enjoy.  Her contributions have been critical to many of the core organizations that lay the foundation for the services and events we have all come to depend on in Washington.  While her contributions are far too many to count, I would like to highlight a few of them:

• Board Chair and Trustee of the Washington Montessori school for over a decade

• Board Member of the Steep Rock Association over the last 7 years.

• Board of Trustees for the Gunn Memorial Library for 6 years.

• Winner of the 2018 Frederick Gunn School’s ‘Friend of the Green Award’ for community involvement.

• And probably her most beloved project, she was an original founder and president of the Judy Black park since the land was purchased in 2013.

I would like to highlight a few quotes from the nominations we received this year as I believe they said it best:

“She was a tireless supporter of the Town”

“She had a unique ability to bring our many constituents together and find common ground”

“She dedicated her time and expertise to helping many local organizations and individuals in need. But the way in which she helped you was never looking for recognition. She did it quietly and professionally and with love.”

“Possessed the best character, always there to listen, to pitch in, to help a friend in need, there to be an ear or shoulder in your time of need”

We always frame our award around Stephen’s four best attributes, Character, Leadership, Service, and Achievement.  Our award winner has demonstrated those qualities over the last 25+ years of her endless and selfless contribution to Washington and our community.   Across all her accomplishments, she has always sought ways to improve our town, help others in need, and do as much as she could without seeking recognition or the spotlight.  It is exactly this call to citizenship that embodies Stephen’s call to serve.  And it is one of the qualities that makes Washington exceptional.

I am pleased to announce the winner of the 2021 Major Stephen Reich Award for Exceptional Citizenship: Denise Trevenen.”