Meet this year's chief marshal of Dorchester Day Parade: Ralph Browne

A Korean War veteran and 40-year resident of Dorchester, Browne has seen it all in a neighborhood he loves.

“It’s fantastic,” said Browne. “After all of these years to be chosen, I consider it a huge honor.”

Browne served in the during the Korean conflict with the 272nd Field Artillery Battalion of the Massachusetts National Guard, ant all-African-American unit, and worked as a civilian with the Air Force.

He said there are a lot of things that make the Dorchester Day Parade great, and he is especially thankful for the recognition the parade pays to the veterans of the neighborhood and surrounding communities.

“It’s great to see the neighborhood come out and recognize the vets like this,” said Browne. “It gives everyone a chance to socialize and I swear it gets large every year. The Parade Committee really does a fantastic job getting the word out.”

A native of Massachusetts, Browne has had a hand in many of the doings of Dorchester as the president of the Dorchester Allied Neighborhood Association, the Meetinghouse Hill Civic Association, and formally the Commander of Mattapan’s William E. Carter American Legion Post.

Browne and his wife of 60 years, Wilma, have seven who have all since moved to different corners of the country, from California to Georgia.

It seems as if the whole neighborhood pauses for the parade, as floats and participants march down Dorchester Avenue.

This year’s Little Miss and Young Miss Dorchester will have a float of their own, waving to well-wishers and showing off their crowns.

The Mayor of Dorchester, Katie Hurley will also be in attendance along with, according to the Dorchester Reporter, Senator Scott Brown, his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, and other local politicians.

The parade will begin Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the corner of Richmond Street and Dorchester Avenue in Lower Mills. The parade will come to an end at the corner of Columbia Road and Dorchester Avenue.

For more information about the parade, click here.

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Email Patrick D. Rosso, patrick.d.rosso@gmail.com. Follow him @PDRosso, or friend him on Facebook.