I am pleased to announce that the first annual Robert Lessler Citizenship Award winner presentation will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m. in the Easton Library Community Room. All are invited to attend to support good citizenship in our town.
At a dinner last March I was thanked for my service to the town. At this event it was announced there would be a Robert Lessler Citizenship Award. In addition to honoring a person who has contributed to the good of the town with a plaque in Town Hall, there will also be a collection of books reflecting Easton history, politics and citizenship. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to establish the award. My hope is that the books and accolades will help to continue to inspire good citizenship in the future.
The award will be given each year to acknowledge an individual for their outstanding service to the town of Easton in improving the lives of our citizens through exemplary acts that foster the common good. The winner will demonstrate an accomplishment of public benefit which is extensive both in time and reach. The winner need not be a government official nor a town resident. A five-member committee was created to develop selection criteria and to organize the implementation of the award.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that this year’s winner is Adrienne Burke, the owner of Greiser’s Coffee & Market. Greiser’s Market has been in business for over a century. In 2018, Adrienne purchased and revitalized this business to create a community gathering place as well as a destination for those from outside Easton.
The store now offers daily breakfast and lunch service, specialty groceries, upscale and locally produced merchandise and after-hours events highlighting local artistic talent. Grieser’s has always been a destination for some, but thanks to Adrienne’s leadership and vision, it is a center for social connection for every constituency. To visit this gem of a café, is to have a window into the soul of this town of Easton.
Adrienne is also a member of the town’s Library Board of Trustees. Prior to taking over Greiser’s, she served as a writer, editor and publisher of a variety of business and scientific publications for 25 years. These publications and organizations include Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, Genome Web, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Yale School of Engineering.
The committee members are, in addition to myself: John Cunningham, Jim Riling, Maureen Williams and Wendy Bowditch. I want to thank each of them for their efforts in advancing this project. Each one of them is a long serving, dedicated and accomplished citizen of Easton.
The award has been named for me to recognize my years of service to the town. I served on the Board of Finance for four years (1994-1997), the Board of Selectmen for 24 years (1997-2001, 2003-2023), the original EMS and Firefighters Honorarium Committee, the 1997 School Building Committee and the 175th Easton Founding Anniversary Committee.
I have played a role in most of the major issues of the day during this time. I certainly feel unworthy of this honor because there are many people who have given as much or more to our town. Still, I have loaned my name to this award to highlight the notion that we should celebrate people whose selfless acts go above and beyond to make Easton a better place in which to live for all.
There is no better legacy one could hope to have than to help say thank you to people who display noteworthy dedication to improving the lives of our townspeople through their exemplary deeds, services and respectful acts of public service.
Congratulations and thank you to Adrienne. Please join us on Nov. 23 as we present her with the award and celebrate her work promoting the common good in Easton.
