The Rotary Club of West Springfield presented its prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Recognition for Distinguished Community Service to Allen T. (Al) Howard, a 40 year volunteer with the West Springfield Park and Recreation Department and fellow Rotarian Stella E. Kalamarakis both of West Springfield. They were honored May 7 at Storrowton Tavern, West Springfield.
The Rotary Club of West Springfield presented its prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Recognition for Distinguished Community Service to Allen T. (Al) Howard, a 40 year volunteer with the West Springfield Park and Recreation Department and fellow Rotarian Stella E. Kalamarakis both of West Springfield. They were honored May 7 at Storrowton Tavern, West Springfield.
The Paul Harris Fellowship is the highest recognition bestowed by Rotary. It is given annually to members of the community and Rotarians who demonstrate community spirit as well as live up to the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.” Each year, West Springfield Rotary recognizes a club member for his or her service to Rotary and the community as well as an individual for outstanding community service.
Howard was born and raised in Ashland, MA and has been a resident of West Springfield since he was 23, after four years of study at UMASS, Amherst. Juggling family and work, Al started volunteering with the Town’s Park & Recreation department. Now almost 40 years later, he is still volunteering. Al’s passion to assist the residents of West Springfield brought him to serve as a Park & Recreation Commissioner for 14 years, seven as the Chair. Al Howard has also been a catalyst for starting new programs in our community. He is a founding member of the Recreation Youth Softball Association, started the instructional soccer and FUN soccer program, is founder and league coordinator of the Pioneer Valley Girls’ Basketball league and started the instructional basketball league.
Mr. Howard continues to be involved in all the programs related to West Springfield youth, many for over 20 years. He has served as president, chair or been the league coordinator of programs in softball, soccer, basketball. When he finds the time he also umpires and has coached youth baseball. In addition to Mr. Howard’s work with West Springfield’s youth, he is a founding member and chair of the Friends of Park & Recreation, (FOPAR), a member of the Community Preservation Committee and was a Town Meeting member for 12 years.
Mr. Howard has received the Ed Hickox award from the Basketball Hall of Fame for volunteer work for youngsters in the Pioneer Valley, the Park & Rec Commissioners Award, the Park & Rec Aimee Levesque Award, the West Springfield Basketball Booster Club Contributors Award as well as the Booster Club Contributors Award for both the Pioneer Valley Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball leagues.
Mr. Howard, now retired, served as facility manager for Veeder Root Company in Simsbury, CT. He and his wife Cheryl have been married for 49 years. They have five children, 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
This year’s Rotary recipient, Stella Kalamarakis, is president of Precision Communications, Inc. in West Springfield. She served as president of the Rotary Club of West Springfield for the 2010-2011 year and is only the second woman to assume the position in the 60 year history of the Club.
An active member of Rotary for 6 1/2 years, Kalamarakis has served on the Board as secretary, vice president and president- elect. She has been actively involved in a number of committees and is instrumental in the production of the Club’s major fundraiser, West Side’s Taste of the Valley, where she serves as talent buyer.
She was appointed by the Mayor of West Springfield as a town Assessor and is a past appointee of the West Springfield Arts Council, where she served from 2001 – 2007 and was Chairperson for four years. She was also a member of the West Springfield Middle School Site Council Board, serving from 2007 – 2010. She is currently a member of the National Association of Realtors, Massachusetts Association of Realtors and Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley.
A graduate of West Springfield High School, she received her Associate’s Degree in business administration from Holyoke Community College and has held positions at the Cigna Corporation, Heritage Bank for Savings and Fleet Bank. Kalamarakis is also a part-time real estate agent for Rettura Realty. She and her husband Harry have two children, Marcos and Zoe.
The Paul Harris Fellowship Recognition is named for the founder of what is now Rotary International. There are 1.2 million members worldwide with 34,000 clubs in 168 countries. Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
The West Springfield Rotary Club, under the leadership of David Condon, meets Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. at Hofbrau Joe’s German Steakhaus on Main St. Its largest fundraiser, West Side’s Taste of the Valley, sponsored by Chicopee Savings Bank, will take place June 6-9 on the West Springfield Town Common.