The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen (from left to right, Mary Jo Nosal, Arthur “Skip” Sibley and First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder) stand with the 2012 Citizen of the Year Robert “Bob” Pierson and the 2010 Citizen of the Year, Janet “Jeff” Sturges.

The climax of Monday evening’s Old Lyme Annual Town Meeting was the announcement of the Citizen of the Year for 2012 – an honor chosen in secret by the board of selectmen and unknown to the recipient until its unveiling at the meeting.

The recipient is always ‘tricked’ in some way by family members into attending the meeting and this year’s recipient was no exception.

Bob Pierson was told by his wife Barbara that he needed to be in the meeting to vote in support of the monies being requested for the installation of equipment on the Mile Creek Tower to allow interagency communication between Police, Fire, EMS, Public Works and other agencies, as recommended by the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen.  As both the loyal citizen (and husband!) that he is, Pierson dutifully set off for the meeting despite the inclement weather.

First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder read the full proclamation annuoncing Pierson as the recipient.  It started with a question … “How do you spell dependable?”  To cheerful laughter, she responded to her own question with the woirds, “The Town of Old Lyme spells it with a capital P for Pierson.”

Reemsnyder then continued reading the proclamation, saying, “Whether in his capacity as President of the Old Lyme Volunteer Fire Department, former member of the Town’s Planning Commission, or Treasurer of the Lymes’ Senior Center Board, Bob Pierson has earned his well-deserved reputation as someone you can count on.”

The remainder of the Proclamation detailed Pierson’s history in relation to the town, noting he moved to Old Lyme as a high school student in the late 1950s, then worked at Saunders Garage while serving the Fire Department as a junior firefighter until his graduation from Old Lyme High School in 1964.

Pierson temporarily relocated in California with one of his sisters, but returned to Old Lyme after his discharge from the Army.  To more ripples of laughter, Reemsnyder recalled, “A job with RR Donnelly & Sons persuaded him [Pierson] that desk work was not for him…”  Consequently, Pierson took a position with Southern New England Telephone in 1970 and continued working there until 1995.

Pierson renewed his active service in the Fire Department when he retired, and received his 50 year pin in 2012. The proclamation notes he has served as Fire Department President for the past seven years.

Bob and Barbara Pierson are all smiles after the presentation.

In terms of his service to the Town, Pierson was initially appointed to the Town’s Planning Commission as an alternate in 1983, and served as Commission chair from 1996 to 2000. He stepped up to serve, again, as an alternate, from 2000 to 2009.

Reemsnyder continued, “His respite from appointed official status did not last long. Bob answered the call to serve earlier this year as one of our representatives to the Lymes’ Senior Center Board and is currently that Board’s Treasurer.”

Pierson’s service to the Town has also included being a member of a variety of task forces and committees: an Information Technology committee, committees formed to improve Town Hall phone service, and a recent committee formed to monitor needs at all Town facilities.

In yet another capacity, Pierson is also an “unofficial” Poll worker, often assisting the Deputy Registrar of Voters, who happens to be his wife Barbara, with the 4:30 a.m. set-ups on Election Day.

Summing Pierson up, the proclamation declares, “Bob’s name is at the top of everyone’s wish list, including Barbara’s, whom he assists with quality control for the 350 dozen cookies she bakes each holiday season”

On top of all that, Pierson even found time during this cookie season break to collect and prepare 180 gallons of sap to make more than four gallons of maple syrup.

It’s a family affair — Bob and Barbara stand proudly with two great-nephews and a great-niece.

In conclusion, Pierson was thanked by the Board of Selectmen for his lengthy history of dependable service to the Town of Old Lyme.

A beaming Pierson told LymeLine after the presentation that the announcement was “a complete surprise” to him and he was “honored to be joining such an exclusive club.”  He said he counted many of the previous recipients as, “My friends,” and so it was especially meaningful for him to have been selected.