Norfolk & Wrentham July 2019

Page 2 Norfolk & Wrentham Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com July 2019
PERSON OF THE YEAR
continued from page 1
and love of the town.
“Mr. Holmes has impacted
this community in a lot of ways,
mostly behind the scenes, but he
is also a genuinely good guy,”
said Gilmore. “There is general
agreement among the people
who know him that he is humble
and hardworking and doesn’t do
what he does for accolades or appreciation.”
Holmes is the owner of the
W.T. Holmes Transportation
Company, which provides bus
transportation for schools in
ten area towns. The bus company
sits on over 100 acres, land
that Holmes generously shares
with the community for two
yearly events: Norfolk’s Community
Day, held in June, and
the Haunted Train Ride, held in
October, which raises thousands
of dollars for various town organizations.
Both events feature rides on
Holmes’ antique, miniature
trains. The rare trains were originally
amusement park rides, and
Holmes, a collector, laid tracks
on a half-mile loop in the woods
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behind his house.
When asked why he opens his
property and shares his train collection
for these events, Holmes
replied, “We do it for the community.
We share what we have.”
Holmes also has several antique
vehicles among his fleet of
busses, which he lends regularly
to area parades.
Tim Holmes, Dick’s son, says
community service is ingrained
in the family.
“My grandfather and my father
emphasized community
service because it makes your
community go,” said the younger
Holmes. “Everyone needs to give
something. You contribute what
and how you can. I guess you’d
call it the Yankee spirit.”
Dick Holmes’ pride in Norfolk
is evident. He owns the Country
Crossing plaza in the center of
town, and says he took great care
to build the plaza in 1985 with
a classic New England aesthetic.
His bus company offices are also
housed in a colonial-style building,
when he could have built a
cheaper, metal structure.
Holmes, who is 76 years old,
was born and bred in town. He
married his high school sweetheart,
Diane Delaney (the couple
is celebrating their 55th wedding
anniversary this year), and
has two sons and a daughter and
nine grandchildren. Although
he has seen many changes in the
community, Norfolk still retains
that small-town feel, he said.
W. T. Holmes Transportation
Company was started by Walter
Holmes, Dick’s father, in 1932.
Walter Holmes served in town
government and as a selectman
for many years. Dick took over
the business in the 1960s, and his
two sons now help run the company.
A grandson has also joined
the family business.
Notably, only about 12 percent
of family businesses survive
into the third generation, and
only 3 percent are still operational
into the fourth generation
and beyond. Holmes attributes
his company’s success to oldfashioned
family values. Monday
nights are family dinner nights,
and most of the extended family
tries to at least drop in and say
hello, if not stay for a meal.
“We all get along pretty well,”
said the reticent Holmes. “We
all give and take. My dad had a
few busses, and we’re up to 170
today. We work hard at it.”
Holmes still starts his work
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day at 5 a.m., showing up in the
office before his sons.
“I have to stay here to keep
my eye on them,” joked the older
Holmes.
When the school year ends,
repair work on the busses begin.
Holmes does the body work with
a grandson, and is the only person
allowed to use the sewing
machine to mend any ripped
seats.
Holmes is also active in the
town’s Federated Church, and
has served on the town’s Advisory
Board in the past.
This is the third time the
Norfolk Community League has
selected a Person of the Year,
according to Kelly Panepinto,
the organization’s president.
The Person of the Year is nominated
by residents and then the
12-member NCL board chooses
3 to 4 candidates for residents to
vote on. This year’s candidates
were Holmes, Jeff Chalmers,
Hillary Cohen, and Tara Spellman.
In an interesting twist this
year, the candidates urged residents,
on the town’s Facebook
page, to vote for Dick Holmes
instead of themselves.
“I think this speaks not only
to our very selfless candidates
but also to the amazing contributions
Dick and his family
have made to the community,”
said Panepinto. “The other
nominees recognized that many
of their contributions are made
possible through the generosity
of Dick and his entire family.”
The Norfolk Community
League has about 200 family
memberships. Formed in 1974
as NOVA (Norfolk Organization
for Various Activities), the organization’s
goal, according to its
website, is to “enhance the quality
of life for Norfolk residents, to
increase involvement in activities
that better our community and
to strengthen community spirit.”
NCL provides a variety of social,
family-based and fundraising activities
for its members. All monies
raised through NCL activities
and fundraisers are dispersed to
various Norfolk groups through
its grants program.
One of its biggest fundraisers
is the NCL gala, held once every
18 months. The next gala and
Person of the Year selection will
be in the spring of 2021.
NCL welcomes new members.
For more information about
NCL or to join the organization,
visit norfolkcl.org.
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