2018 Pittsfield Citizens Of The Year
Congratulations to George E. Freese III (Gef) and Robert A.
Freese, 2018 Pittsfield Citizens of the Year!
We
all know them as previous owners of Globe Manufacturing Company-
who has been very generous to our community but each have given
of themselves to many projects and endeavors.
For
many years, Gef has mowed the lawn, trimmed the bushes and swept
the street in front of the First Congregational Church. He
also helped clean Floral Park Cemetery after the fireworks on
Balloon Rally weekend.
Rob
has also contributed his time, mainly to the Fire Department.
Joining in 1980 as an Explorer and three years later becoming a
regular member, he was one of the original EMT’s. He has
served as a firefighter, lieutenant of the Rescue Squad, and
three years as deputy chief. Today he is the Director of
Emergency Management for Pittsfield. Rob has also been a
strong supporter of the Police Department, funding the Canine
Unit and the purchase of two police cruisers.
The
brothers have given of their time, but they have also shared a
huge amount of their monetary success to making our town a
better place to live. There has not been a project in
decades to which they have not contributed. Individually,
and sometimes in conjunction with their company, have donated
large sums of money to many of Pittsfield’s organizations:
Boy Scouts, Rotary, Pittsfield Historical Society (Frank Lyman
Park, the Thyng Memorial, the roof on its headquarters),
Pittsfield Players (the sprinkler system), Pittsfield Youth
Baseball (especially the recent renovation of the Park), and the
Congregational Church (lighting for the town clock among other
items).
They have also provided funding to the Fire Department for new
Class A uniforms, an air compressor replacement, and new fire
suits and their repair. They recently paid for new LED
lighting, for racks to house individual firefighters’ equipment,
and to have the interior of the building repainted.
Gef
and Rob have been strong supporters of local education,
providing funds for the Blueberry Express Day Care Center,
scholarships for Pittsfield students and support of the Music
and Arts Departments, summer programs and sports teams.
Recently they paid for lighting at the dam, the reconstruction
of the bandstand in Dustin Park, the fireworks display at
Balloon Rally and contributed to the new fence around Floral
Park. They have pledged to make a major donation toward
the repair of the dam at White’s pond.
These are some of the contributions Gef and Rob have made to the
town of Pittsfield – we are sure there are many more!
Pittsfield is very lucky and grateful to have two wonderful and
generous individuals who take the time to make our community a
better place to live! THANK YOU, Gef and Rob for ALL you
do for Pittsfield! Congratulations for being chosen as
Pittsfield’s Citizens of the Year!