Getting one's name on a public building these days usually comes with a price tag. Make a big donation and you can get your name in a prominent spot.
Not so at Fuller Village in Milton. There, it's years of service to the town, not money, that speaks. At the nonprofit elderly housing complex, seven buildings and a grove of trees bear the names of people who have donated hundreds of years collectively to Milton.
The board that named the buildings "wanted to honor people who've given their time to the town," said Deborah Felton, executive director of Fuller Village, which has 321 housing units on 61 acres. "John Cronin, former town administrator, did all the research on the names that were brought forth and it was hard to get it down to eight, but we feel we have a good representation."
The honorees include: the late Charles Eliot, for whom the tree grove is named, founder of Blue Hills Reservation and the Trustees of Reservations and partner in a firm headed by Frederick Law Olmsted; Ann Coghlan, who was the first resident of Fuller Village and has served on numerous town boards and foundations; Frank J. Giuliano, former longtime Milton school superintendent; and Rabbi Nathan Korff, a founder of Milton Residences for the Elderly, an initiative in the 1960s of the Milton Clergymen's Association to bring affordable and safe housing options to Milton's senior citizens.
Also, John P. Linehan, former selectman and Planning Board member who as a trustee of the Caroline Fuller Trust was influential in making Fuller Village a reality; the late Edith Endicott Stebbins, who pioneered as a woman serving on a variety of Milton boards in the early 20th century; the late Edward C. Johnson II, founder of Fidelity Investments who as a 35-year member of the Milton Board of Appeals hand-wrote all board decisions, some 500 of them; and the late Paul W. Knight, the first World War II veteran elected to a townwide position when he won a seat on the school board in 1947.
In this era of selling naming rights, Felton said, "It's nice to honor people instead for their service and devotion to their community."
FAMILIES HONORED: Sacred Heart High School in Kingston has presented its 2008 Caritas Awards to Larry, Diane, and Dan Hunt of Kingston and Howard and Anne Marie League of Pembroke. The Hunts have been involved in the Sacred Heart community for more than 30 years, including working to support the school's 9/11 Fund; William Christopher Hunt, a 1987 Sacred Heart graduate, died in the terrorist attacks in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. The Leagues have supported the school in a variety of ways for nearly 20 years. The families are to receive their awards at the school's annual Caritas Gala and Auction Saturday at the school.
BUSINESS BRIEFS: Bank of Canton's "Good Cheerlings" holiday cash drawings had two grand-prize winners, Jennifer Bolan of Hyannis and Florence Puglia of Randolph. Each received $500. The 13th annual contest gave away more than $3,000 to area residents whose names were drawn over a three-week period at its six branches.
John P. Napolitano of Norwell has released a new book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Personal Financial Planner." Napolitano, in addition to being an author, is CEO of the Braintree-based U.S. Wealth Cos.
Norwell-based Jack Conway Co. will honor Plimoth Plantation as its 2007 Citizen of the Year. Plantation executive director John McDonagh is expected to accept the award on behalf of his organization at the annual Conway convention scheduled for Feb. 8 at the Sheraton Four Points in Norwood. Conway officials said the nonprofit was chosen for its outreach through traveling to local schools, its tours of the Mayflower II, art house films at Plimoth Cinema, and its study of environmental history.
Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at kandarian@globe.com.
