01940 Winter 2021_Reduced

WINTER 2021 | 35
Every community has one. You
know, that power couple that
everyone knows by their first
names.
In Lynnfield, that couple is Phil and Ellen,
as in Phil and Ellen Rubbico Crawford.
The North Reading natives moved to
Lynnfield in 1987, four years after the former
North Reading Middle School sweethearts
said their "I do's."
Since then, the duo has been involved in
all things Lynnfield. You name it, they're on it.
And have done it.
From volunteering in the schools to youth
and high-school sports to a myriad of charities,
to Rotary, the senior council and town
boards and committees, to leading a grassroots
effort to build MarketStreet Lynnfield,
simply put, if it's happening here, count on
Phil and Ellen to be there, front and center.
Ellen, who was honored at the fall Town
Meeting with the 2021 Daniel Townsend
Award for Excellence, says it all begins with
family.
"I am very much my mother's (Barbara
Rubbico's) daughter," said Ellen. "I grew up
in a family of 10 kids and my mother and
father (Joe) were always there to support us.
I attribute my work ethic and belief that it is
so important to help out in the community to
my parents. I'm passionate about doing whatever
I can to help improve the quality of life
in our town, as so many others have done."
Crawford's contributions to the community
and the real-estate industry have been recognized
on countless other occasions. She is a
three-time Platinum Club Award honoree, a
Double Centurion Award honoree.
Her activism began when the couple's
children — Jimmy, Ashley, Britnay and Nicole
— enrolled in the Lynnfield Public Schools.
"Schools depend on volunteers for so
many things and I've always felt that it's
important to do whatever it takes to make the
schools the best they can be," Crawford said.
"To do that, you have to give your time. It's
extremely satisfying."
Crawford served as a PTO member from
1990-2009 and chaired the Summer Street
School Pumpkin Fair and Auction for 12
years, raising more than $200,000 for several
school-improvement projects, including
playground equipment and media-center
upgrades.
Active with the Lynnfield Athletic
Association and Moving On ceremonies at
both the Summer Street and middle schools
and the Post-Prom Committee at the high
school, Crawford was also a key member of
the district's 2000 and 2021 school-building
improvement projects.
A member of the Friends of the Lynnfield
Senior Center and the Friends of the Lynnfield
Library, Crawford is an active member
of the Village Home & Club and serves on
the board of Townscape, an organization
that has worked to upgrade Glen Meadow
Park, Jordan Park, Newhall Park and Forest
Hill Cemetery. She has taught CCD classes
at St. Maria Goretti Church for 16 years and
is an active Lynnfield Catholic Collaborative
parishioner and donor.
Phil attributes much of the couple's success
to their complementary personalities.
"From the time we first met, we had
opposite personalities," he said. "Ellen is
intense and I'm a low-stress guy. I have thick
skin; things just roll off my back. I'd rather go
through life with a smile on my face; that's
just my personality."
Phil's contributions to the community run
a parallel course to those of his spouse. It all
started with — you guessed it — family.
"I've always been athletic so it was no
surprise that our kids were, so whatever sport
they played, I coached," he said.
In 1993, Phil took Lynnfield youth