By Austin J. Schofield
Express correspondent

The presidential race isn’t the only area seeing Democratic primaries in 2020. In the Massachusetts 8th Congressional District, engineer Brianna Wu is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch for the party’s nomination. The Express recently spoke with Wu to ask her about herself and her campaign.

Q: Where are you from?

A: “I’m from Mississippi, but I’ve lived all over. I’ve lived in D.C., I’ve lived in Mississippi, I’ve spent a lot of time in Colorado, I’ve lived in Silicon Valley – where I got married.”

Q: What would you say your main background is in?

A: “I think it would be generally in tech start-ups, as I’ve started three throughout my career so far. Traditionally, however, I am trained as an engineer, and my specialty is graphical subsystems – so Vulkan, OpenGL, OpenCL, and so on.”

Q: So, you are formally trained as an engineer, and you’ve also worked in the tech industry establishing start-ups. Where did the interest in politics come into play?

A: “Well, I was adopted into a family of extremely right-wing republicans who were hyper-political. I grew up on a diet of Rush Limbaugh, Fox and others to a ridiculous degree. My father was a lieutenant commander in the navy — he used that career to break away from a life of poverty in Mississippi — and so my family had the kind of politics you would expect of someone from Mississippi of that generation. Therefore, I always had that interest in politics, but it was around the time that, frankly, George Bush started sending my friends off to die in Iraq — that really changed me.”

Q: What motivates your primary challenge of Stephen Lynch?

A: “I have been angry at Stephen Lynch for a long time. I think he is fundamentally out of step on Massachusetts’ values. I urge you to look into why he got into politics in Massachusetts in the first place. It was because he was angry at gay people for participating in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. In the ’80s, he got drunk and assaulted some Iranian students who were protesting American policies. [The Boston Globe reported in 2001 that the charges in the incident were dropped and that Lynch had struggled with alcohol abuse at the time. Fifty-two American hostages were held hostage in Iran from Nov. 4, 1979 to Jan. 20, 1981 leading to a great deal of anti-Iranian fervor in the U.S. — editor]

For a long time, I have been frustrated with Lynch and the leadership he has shown. I think that, in the Trump era, that disappointment in even more morbid. I’ll give an example; we have an ad out today that is of Stephen Lynch literally yelling at the constituent asking him to do something on impeachment. He’s like, ‘yeah, yeah, it’s not going to work, you’re just going to get him reelected.’ So I feel like there is fundamentally a leadership vacuum here in District 8, and if you go and compare that to Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, such amazing leaders, and then we have this guy that seems so out of step with everything we stand for. I can accept that he has less progressive social policies than most people, but what I can’t accept is the feckless leadership style that he enacts. If there’s a fight to be had, Stephen Lynch is not the person who’s going to fight.”

Q: Where do you part on specific issues?

A: “I think women’s’ rights is a very big one. Stephen Lynch, for the longest time, was anti-women’s’ reproductive health care access — he stood against that forever. He was against it and then he tried to run for senate and lost, and that’s when he changed his view. I’ve been dead solid consistent on this. I don’t just say I believe in women’s rights. I’ve had bricks thrown through my window for women’s rights. I’ve gone up against the worst figures in the Republican party over women’s rights. I’ve had to get Katherine Clark to intercede with the FBI for me over my position on women’s rights during Gamergate. So, that’s something that I feel very strongly about.

“I also think there’s this. There’s a teacher strike in Dedham, as we speak, because their healthcare costs are so out of control that even in an affluent neighborhood, teachers aren’t being paid enough to get healthcare. Stephen Lynch has failed, fundamentally, at bringing money from DC back to Massachusetts. We pay far more than we get back. So when our roads are crumbling, you need to ask, where are our Department of Transportation grants? When our T is literally catching on fire, my question is, where is Mass. and our fair share of that federal money? He has not been effective at bringing money back to the district because he is not willing to fight.”

Q: Where do you feel Rep. Lynch has fallen short?

A: “I think that’s one of the big ones. There are many on social policy, and its also important to say that, for all of Lynch’s talk about unions, unions are far worse off today in our state than they were when he was elected. Participation in unions is down 4 percent in just the last few years. Its plummeted. And take National Grid — how long were those guys out there protesting in the cold last year? A really long time. I was out there — I never saw him; so I think Stephen Lynch has marketed himself very effectively as a pro-union guy but when you look at the reality, its not there.”

Q: Lynch is a former president in the IronWorkers union. How do you view what he has done for these workers? What is your view on them?

A: He takes it for granted. I think a lot of these battles, he doesn’t show up. My team and I were with Stop & Shop workers during their strike. Was Stephen Lynch there? I didn’t see him. He sat that one out. I’ve never seen him out with National Grid, or with the hotel workers striking in downtown Boston. He sure wasn’t at that teachers rally in his own district just a few weeks ago. So, this is what I would say. Steelworkers are incredibly important, and I want to have their back, but, we need to look at where Massachusetts is today. The top two fields, as far as revenue, in Massachusetts are Biotech and Tech. And we are having very serious talks in both of these fields about our need to unionize and I am working with those people day in and day out on those unionization measures. When it comes to media, I sure have never seen Stephen Lynch on twitter talking about Vox’s union. I know the leaders for that rwally well. So, my dream for union participation in district 8 is: I don’t think we need to be separating Vox media people and steel workers. We are all in this together and I think white collar tech workers need to get over the elitism that makes us think we don’t need to stand with teachers and other kinds of workers. I think when it comes to working on wider issues for the wider 21st century economy, Stephen Lynch has fundamentally failed.”

Q: What are the most important issues facing the 8th District in your view?

A: “Basically, there are two buckets. There’s the kitchen table, economic discussions that keep a lot of families awake at night. I am a software engineer and my husband is one of the senior IP people at a major Biotech company. We just managed to afford a house this year. That’s how expensive it is. There are spiraling health care costs. Stephen Lynch wouldn’t even vote for Obamacare, much less more aggressive measures. He’s not there. As far as people in this district, I am talking economic issues that focus on them like a laser.

“The other bucket is a grand vision of where Massachusetts is going to be 100 years from now, and this is where I am ridiculously qualified to take us. Stephen Lynch is flat out terrible on tech and biotech issues — this is my field; this is my husbands’ field. So, when we are talking about bringing tech and biotech jobs into the state, one of the things that really disturbs me about Massachusetts is, we spend all this money on education, as we should, but we are a brain drain state. People come here and attend college, and then they go back to Silicon Valley or New York or Austin, Texas and they take those skills elsewhere. That is because our leaders in this state have failed to keep start-ups and talent in this state, starting the companies of the 21st century. I know how to get us there, and Stephen Lynch doesn’t.”

Q: Lynch chairs the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor. What committee assignments would you aspire to if elected?

A: “There is a committee in congress right now that is not being taken as seriously as it should be; that is the science, space and technology committee. This committee controls patents, it controls communication standards, it controls encryption standards, it controls a wide array of tech standards and we are embarrassingly ignoring this committee. When we think of Facebook and their negligence causing our democracy to be damaged immensely – that is something that this committee has the power to regulate. There’s a videogame called ‘Total Spectrum Warfare,’ and the idea behind this game is that the wars of the 21 century are not fought with guns and bullets and bombs and missiles, they’re fought by controlling an enemy’s economics, their power system, their shipping infrastructure, their media infrastructure, their water infrastructure – this is where the U.S. is vulnerable. You could take out power to a majority of this country if you were to aim a missile at a very particular two-mile area of our power grid, and we don’t have a plan for that. It is a fact that Russians hacked our nuclear powerplants. We don’t have a plan for that. So, when it comes to the kinds of wars and attacks on our democracy in the 21st century, I am serious about being on the forefront of that committee addressing it.

“We have a role to play in the U.S. safeguarding our democracy. I come from Mississippi. We had more people serving per capita than any other state in America. I saw a lot of my friends die in Iraq and when I think of all the brave men and women that have given their lives so that we can vote, it makes me furious to see Congress failing to safeguard our elections in common sense ways. We have got to take this seriously, and Stephen Lynch is fundamentally a part of that problem.”

Q: Before we wrap up, is their anything else you’d like to touch on?

A: “Yes. The demographics in this district have changed immensely since he was elected just after 2000. Please understand how he got elected. We were attacked on 911 and he was a part of the backlash against that and in that moment, we went with the most conservative choice. Stephen Lynch’s base has traditionally been South Boston, so when you look at what this district looks like today, almost 20 years later, what are the differences? It’s much younger, it’s more diverse racially – Asian voters are almost 11percent of our district the last time I looked. We have areas like Brockton that are fundamentally falling apart. He’s not there. Stephen Lynch has kept power by focusing on this one small area of district 8, which is massive. We’re going to go out there, we’re going to talk to the people in Brockton that don’t even know who Stephen Lynch is because he never shows up. We’re going to talk to them and win their vote. The truth is, Stephen Lynch has taken the seat for granted for a long time and it’s time he had a real fight.”

By Stephanie Spyropoulos
and Tracy F. Seelye
Express staff

WHITMAN — Gratitude and a positive attitude is what the Conley Elementary School gathered to celebrate this week as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches in their recent assembly.

On Saturday, Nov. 23, that spirit of giving found W-H student athletes, members of the Whitman Police Department and members of the community volunteered to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to about 360 seniors from Whitman and surrounding towns at the Whitman Knights of Columbus.

Conley School also collectively gathered a donation to present to the Whitman Animal Shelter for $1,000. The highest ever in the Conley School, which by the jaw drops — students could not believe themselves — that their spare change had such grand accumulation over the last months.

Principal Karen Downey assisted by fifth-grade student Destin Rodriquez held the check and took a peek at the total before they announced their final amount.

The school has gathered their coins and cans with full meals to serve approximately 30 families in need in the Whitman area. Volunteers from the Whitman Food Pantry accepted donations and thanked the Conley students and staff.

In celebration of the season and giving to those in need the community at Conley left the cafeteria with both teachers, and students feeling blessed and thankful with a palpable feeling of excitement and positive energy.

Several students read from gratitude lists, which they created in conjunction with their classroom time and lessons. The students also assisted in presenting the baskets to the Whitman Food Pantry, which were then loaded into cars to take to the pantry in time for the holiday.

The K of C served up roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, winter squash, peas and onions, and a dinner roll plus dessert for the 47th year.

“The first one was in 1972,” said Whitman Council on Aging Director Barbara Garvey. “I couldn’t be here because I was graduating from Abington High School.”

Garvey noted the seniors were dining with more than 350 others as a “nice time to make new friends and visit old friends.”

“The members of the Whitman Knights of Columbus have always been very kind and generous to this community as a whole and, in particular, to our seniors,” Garvey said. “They and their volunteers give countless hours of their time, effort and resources not only today, but through the entire year to make this undertaking possible. It’s massive, as you can see.”

Garvey thanked the K of C and all the volunteers on behalf of the Whitman Council on Aging and all those attending Saturday’s dinner.

The Rev. Robert Collen led the blessing before the volunteers served it in nine minutes and 36 seconds.

FE-LINE FINE: Tommy Pelton, 4, of Hanson ran to get a quick hug from children’s book character ‘Pete the Cat,’ above, during the annual open house at the Hanson Public Library, Saturday, Nov. 16. Madison Harding, 3, was awestruck when she saw Pete the Cat walk in the room. See more photos, page 11.                                                                  

WHITMAN — The streets were lined with hundreds of locals from all over the South Shore Monday, Nov. 11 — many whom had relatives marching in the 66th annual Tri-Town Veteran’s Day Parade. This year’s parade hosted by Whitman was dedicated in honor of the 75 Anniversary of the Poppy — made famous by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” about the sacrifices made in the war.

The towns of Whitman, Abington and Rockland joined together to honor those who served and those who were lost.

Multiple generations were represented along the route. Youngsters waved flags and many marched in time as decorated soldiers and military groups passed by the viewing stand.

WWII veterans were mixed among those who served more recently, with each branch of military represented. An oversized flag flew over the start of the parade route by the Whitman Post Office as attendees remembered the fallen.

One family who celebrated their lineage in Whitman had four generations represented at the Veteran’s Parade.

Lillian Morgan, 98, of Whitman a Marine widow was tucked in with a heavy blanket in her wheelchair as she held an American flag. She donned a white ascot belonging to her late husband of 74 years Marine John J. Morgan Jr.  He served on a ship at Guadalcanal, according to his daughter Maggie Adams.

Adams walked a portion of the parade route pushing her mother to allow her a glimpse of her great-grandkids that were in the parade.

Along with Morgan’s granddaughter Julia Nanigian and her great-granddaughter Scarlett, the pair accounted for four generations at the Parade.

They made their way through the Colebrook Cemetery to view a service project by great granddaughter Scarlett’s Brownie troupe but  the terrain proved too bumpy for her chair.

Whitman Brownie Troupe 82685 had taken on a community project to upkeep a grave of a veteran and they were given the site of Medal of Honor recipient Lt. John R. Fox who served in WW II, and was killed in action on Dec., 26, 1944.

Following the parade, two of the families including troupe leader Christine Hadden and her daughter Nora Hadden, 7, stopped to see the shined and weed-free grave at the Colebrook Cemetery.

Michelle Roy and her daughter Clara, 7, pointed out some of the areas that were cleared including the special addition of a headstone that appeared in the last few months for Lt. Fox’s widow Arlene Marrow Fox who died on Dec. 11, 2015. (The group believes that a family member of Fox had the headstone placed over the summer).

Learning history on Fox, the Brownies shared how they felt about volunteering for the  cleanup Clara said she knew Fox was “really special” and explained the reason why the group painted rocks to spell the word hero, which they left over the top of the headstone.

She said they used patriotic colors that were also part of the colors of the American flag.

Both girls knew they were a part of something significant and said they were happy to help paint the rocks found at the graveside.

Nora Roy also wanted residents to know that she thought it was special that we celebrate Veteran’s Day every year.

“We celebrate that the people who served –(fought)  so they could save us from danger, ”she said.

The  group of elementary-age students will be cleaning in the spring and their leaders are hoping to get families involved in the project  with weeding and watering the site. They do not want the engraved memorial to become overgrown with moss again.

Every rock that was dug up from around the site was used in the secondary painting project. The painted rocks were formed into a heart shape with the word “Hero” in the center placed over the two headstones.

The before photos proved that the upkeep was necessary and befitting for a hero, and the group was pleased at their abilities to give back

Involving the youngest citizens and teaching them about the Veterans in our country will set the tone for continued involvement for generations to come.

Also along the parade route were scores of athletes representing all the sports teams at Whitman- Hanson Regional High School.

The groups were involved in a community project doing yard clean up for several veterans who needed assistance.

The group collectively agreed  when they finished raking that  participation in the yard work showed appreciation for local veterans.

Athlete Devin Walsh raked out the leaves from Mel Meehan’s yard. He was just one of the nearly 150 students who participated. Noting it was an important way — as a group – that they were giving back in a small way to those veterans who served, Walsh said.

Mel  Meehan  served in the  Army in Germany and has been a resident of Kendrick Street for nearly two decades. He was a recipient of lawn care by the WH athletics community service. He and his wife are caregivers for two grandsons; Logan, 7, who has special needs and Dustin, 5.

Veteran’s Agent Tom McCarthy, who stopped in to talk with families and thank Meehan for his service said he had an unbelievable feeling of gratitude when he heard that the W-H athletes not only supported the veterans at the morning parade but they were creating a community support project to give back, he said.

At the VFW in Whitman he shared the story with other veterans and he said the reaction was the same.

“They left a strong impression… by giving in such a meaningful way and coming up with the project on their own … made it even more special,” said McCarthy.

He was able to find several families in Whitman and Hanson who were in need for the yard clean-up and raking. McCarthy also credited the positive influences of W-H Athletic Director Bob Rodgers, who assisted with organizing where the students would be most needed.

Victoria Carlton a senior at Whitman Hanson said each team got assigned one yard.

‘’We had a huge turnout. We are all grateful that a lot of people attended,” she said on behalf of the yard full of fellow athletes many still catching their breath from raking.

Town officials, including selectmen, police and fire officials and former state Rep. Geoff Diehl also marched in Monday’s parade.

HANSON — Like many Eagle Scouts, Michael Curran, 17, was honored to receive congratulatory letters from President Trump, former presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter; U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren; and Gov. Charlie Baker. Curran also received a congratulatory letter from a Vatican representative of Pope Francis.

But how many Scouts receive a letter from their favorite football coach, Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichik — as well as an autographed photo from wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — congratulating him on his new rank of Eagle Scout?

“Any Super Bowl tickets go with that?” an audience member asked about the Belichik letter.

Those presentations by Troop 68 Scoutmaster Kevin Keane concluded the Court of Honor ceremony Sunday, Oct, 27 at Lakeside Villa, Halifax, before the Patriots game was turned on in the adjacent buffet room during refreshments.

A perfect conclusion to an event honoring a Scout who ended his own speech with, “Go, Pats!”

Curran is among four Troop 68 Scout to achieve his Eagle Badge this year, following two other Scouts — Alec Fraser and Jacob Barbato who completed that work last year. Liam Keane will have his Court of Honor on Nov. 22 and Michael Doucette’s will be held on Dec. 8, both at Camp Kiwanee. Zev Andruk earned his Eagle Award Oct. 22, and will have his Court of Honor at a later date.

Curran’s mom Maura had the honor of pinning on his new Eagle Badge, while his dad Jim bestowed a new Eagle neckerchief on him during the ceremony, which started with the presentation of the Colors, recitation of the Scout Oath and Law, a prayer by the Rev. Kwang Lee and a candle ceremony signifying the qualities in the oath, the spirit of Scouting and the path to an Eagle Award.

“This is an occasion for pride and joy as well as a time for serious reflection,” said Mark Derocher, assistant Scoutmaster. “The Eagle Award is the highest rank of recognition that Scouting offers to a Boy Scout. It is earned through the advancement program and only a small percentage of boys who begin with Scouting are recognized with this honor.”

Curran has earned 34 merit badges, 13 more than required for Eagle rank.

Selectman Jim Hickey, state Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, and state Sen. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, also attended the ceremony to present citations in honor of the event from the Hanson Board of Selectmen and the Mass. General Court.

Curran’s project was placing handicapped-accessible picnic tables at the snack area at Hanson’s Botieri Field, LZ Thomas and Robinson ball fields. “I was a part of youth sports for over 20 years in town,” Hickey said. “I told [Michael] how much I appreciated him doing [the project] over at the field.”

“This is quite an achievement,” said Cutler, who lamented not sticking with Scouting himself as a youth. “It’s important to acknowledge both his achievement, but also as a community, I see how many folks are getting their Eagle Scout here in Hanson. This is unusual — the number of Eagle Scouts that we have — and that’s because of the great program you have.”

Brady read the resolution and offered a comment about his own Scouting experience.

“I was lucky I was a tenderfoot,” Brady said. “I want to thank all the Scout leaders out there because, without your support these Eagle achievements would not become possible.”

Assistant Scoutmaster, and Deputy Fire Chief Rob O’Brien presented congratulatory certificates from himself and Fire Chief Jerome Thompson Jr., and Police Chief Michael Miksch sent congratulations on Curran’s Eagle Award.

Curran thanked his fellow Troop members for their support of his project and the fundraising for it, as well as his parents and family. He also thanked master woodworker Charlie Garcia for his help.

“He took the time to help create a detailed material list and helped me make plans, so I could make these picnic tabled handicapped accessible,” Curran said. “He also welcomed us into his home for several weekends and helped us create quality picnic tables. Without his help, this project would not be possible.”

He presented mentor pins to his cousin Conor Keane and Troop Treasurer Kris Fraser.

WHITMAN — After nearly two years of work, Whitman now has a home for its memories.

The new Whitman Historical Museum officially re-opened Saturday, Oct. 19, as several of the historical society members who have worked tirelessly on re-establishing the space to house the memorabilia were present. They held a private opening Thursday, Oct. 3, and then again Saturday at the public opening.

John Campbell, 77, president of the Whitman Historical Society, Natalie Powell a longtime Whitman resident and Eunice McSweeney were just some of the members who worked on the exhibits for immeasurable amounts of time to document, label and organize the displays of hundreds of items.

Campbell was mid-sentence during a guided tour when longtime resident Ara Manoogian, who moved to Whitman in 1949, handed him photos of a former dairy barn.

The presentation was exciting and spurred immediate conversation in the room regarding the content and the details in the image. It was a photo circa 1920 of the Pleasant View Dairy, with its original milk room and barn intact, located on Plymouth Street near Pleasant Street. There were several dairy farms in town over the years. Peaceful Meadows, an ice cream shop that entices visitors from all over the South Shore is one of the businesses highlighted on the “now and then” timeline.

Receiving memorabilia is the norm for Campbell and members. There is not always a high monetary value to an article, he said, but added that they always carry a priceless memory. They intend to display and protect each item.

Their cumulative goal is to create a place which educates others by cradling the memories, keepsakes and treasures.

The project of getting the museum ready and re-established for Campbell, who once owned the Bostonian Shoe Museum in early 2000, was both a passion and a necessity. He knew that there was a need to share Whitman’s history.

“There is more to Whitman than just its shoe history,” he said.

Campbell stopped and reminisced with friends and residents, some who have since moved, but grew up in town.  There were discussions at each corner of the building. Guests stopped to read various framed accounts on each walls in the entry to the building. A factory-style hallway was adorned with details on Whitman’s Town Hall, the facts on the largest fires, and in another room the old wooden sign from the Dyer School is hung from a beam.

The format of rooms included amazingly minute details covering the walls to the quite obvious concrete piece — a now retired, paint peeled fire-breathing dragon from King’s Castle Land. Numerous items evoked childhood memories such as the King’s Castle replica and the shops that families frequented to purchase their necessities, clothing, or even penny candy.  There are countless items in the front reading room overflowing with books containing newspaper clippings and images as well as  rows of decades-old school yearbooks uniforms, brochures, menus, old baskets from the Cavicchi’s market just to name a few.

  One family from Hanson brought their visiting son and daughter in-law to see the museum. The couple, who now resides in Philadelphia, were included in conversation which multiplied from wall to wall as other visitors shared their own memories with the ‘sight-seers’.

Bob Milk formerly of Auburn Street saw the event on Facebook and allowed for his scheduled visit from Arizona to include the museum. The former Spellman student said his sister graduated from Whitman-Hanson in the 1970s.  His father Robert Milk was on the school board in the late 1960s.

He was happy that he could take in the opening on his trip to Whitman, he said.

The museum is housed adjacent to Harding Print at 15 Colebrook Blvd.  It is open to the public and organizations wishing to have group tours.

Inquiries can be made by contacting Harding Print  at 781-447-3941.

In their recent invitation which was shared regarding the open house event the Whitman Historical Society provided a statement of intent for generations to come.

The Whitman Historical Society is a not-for–profit educational institute. Its mission shall be to preserve the past, present and future history of the town of Whitman, and its residents through acquisition and preservation. A great emphasis will be placed on education to acquaint present and future generations with those who have passed.

Hailey Thomas, 9, of Brockton, Lucas Marotte, 4, and Alissandra Marcotte, 8, of Whitman were in full costume when they saved the day from this sinister clown at the 2nd annual Great Pumpkin Classic Car Show at Whitman Middle School Sunday as the event was graced with spectacular weather and two full lots of cars. The money raised was to benefit the Whitman recreational programs, and the WH Dollars for Scholars. See more photos, page 11.

Photo by Stephanie Spyropoulos

HANSON — The family of Sandra Crispo, who was last seen at approximately 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 7, held a candlelight vigil in her honor at Hanson Town Hall Green on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The event was held at midday due to the ongoing EEE threat. Selectmen granted the family’s request for the vigil to raise awareness of her story, celebrate how wonderful she is, and send good vibes that will hopefully bring her home.

A family member dropped her off at 47 Spofford Ave, Hanson — the address she resided at for only approximately three months, the day she disappeared, Crispo’s daughter Laina McMahon wrote Selectmen.

“She babysat my children 3 days a week and had planned to keep them overnight Friday, Aug. 9. On the morning of Aug. 9, I arrived at my mother’s home, as planned, to find her not there, her back door unlocked, her dog inside without food or water, all the lights on in the house, the last items discarded in her waste basket were my children’s diapers from Wednesday. My mother would never have left her home or dog without notifying family,” McHahon wrote.

The Hanson Police have been reassuring me that they are working diligently on this case, McMahon wrote.

“They have conducted multiple searches of the neighborhood with canines and questioned the neighbors with no leads in my mother’s disappearance,” she wrote. “Myself, family and friends have been searching for answers ourselves.

HANSON — Giving back to the community in more ways than one a Hanson man celebrated his third annual art exhibit Tuesday, Sept. 24 to lend a hand to others.

Joe Sullivan, 59, is nicknamed the “artist extraordinaire” by his family.

His love of art was applauded last week at the Meadow Brook Restaurant during his third art show to raise money for local charities.

An adult with disabilities Sullivan, is very active and is immersed daily in his community as both a volunteer and friend to others.

Sullivan lives in Hanson with his brother Bill and his sister-in-law Nancy in the home where he grew up.

“His favorite subjects are animals, objects, and people who have touched his life,” family members said. “Each art piece he has painted holds a special meaning in Joe’s heart.”

He has been drawing and painting with acrylics for the last five years under the direction of teacher and artist, owner Julie Quill of Sing, Explore, and Create in Rockland. He began his artwork at the Friendship House of Norwell a program that offers life enrichment programs for individuals with disabilities.

Joe’s friends, family, and teachers were present at the event, which was held at the Meadow Brook. Appetizers and desserts were served as guests mingled and talked to Joe about their favorite art pieces that they hoped to win from his collection.

The funds raised are being donated to two of Joe’s favorite charities  — the Whitman Food Pantry and Sunshine Farm Sanctuary in Bridgewater “where hopes, dreams, and memories are made” a program that assists children residing in the Massachusetts Foster care system in the healing process resulting from experiencing trauma.

Mel Lambert of the Sunshine Farm Sanctuary was at the event along with her family. She said one of the highlights of Joe’s visit is seeing him interact with and give treats to his favorite donkey named Pumpkin.

All of Joe’s friends from the Whitman Food Pantry supported his event.

“He is a very happy guy. He loves all things Olivia Newton John and he collects cards among other hobbies,” said his brother Bill.

Joe can be seen regularly at Holy Ghost Church assisting with the donations and stacking shelves to fulfill the goal of helping families in need as part of the Whitman Food Pantry.

He participates in a different activity nearly every day of the week. He boxes at 110 Fitness in Rockland, he swims in a private program, and he rides along on tire deliveries for their family business Sullivan Tire, among his many daily adventures.

His art teacher Julie Quill said she was honored to teach Joe and to see his progress.  

By participating in such an event he is both “paying it forward and sharing his work,”Quill said who has been a part of all three of his exhibits.

She said he picks out the type of drawing or painting and chooses if he wants to work with pencils or brushes at each lesson free to create his masterpieces.

Joe was returning to the drawing board as he continues his weekly art with a plan to begin his work for next year.