Mar 20, 2023
The award for Villager of the Year goes to Mary Pucel! She will be presented with the award at the Chamber Banquet and Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 11th at Jax Cafe. Tickets can be purchased here.
As written by Barry Kinsey:
"Mary grew up in St. Anthony and her knowledge of the community and her extensive contacts have made her a valuable addition to many local St. Anthony Village organizations but likely none more than the St. Anthony Village Historical Society. She knows much of the history of the community firsthand as she has literally lived much of it. Even as a young girl, she was part of Girl Scout Troop 1586 which took on a project for the small St. Anthony Township Cemetery (Potters Field) on Stinson Boulevard between 29th and 30th Avenues Northeast. Under the guidance of Troop Leader Florence Marks, Mary and the troop researched the cemetery and discovered it was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, existing cemetery in Hennepin County. They then fund raised to have a statue and plaque placed at the cemetery in commemoration. Quite the achievement!"
From Bonnie Brever:
"Mary, a 1981 graduate of the St. Anthony Village High School, has never stopped giving back to this community that raised her. When her kids were younger, she was the parent involved with everything from fundraising to monthly meetings. She coordinated events so that students could travel the nation while participating in the Patriots Marching Band. She worked so that this opportunity would be a possibility for every student, no matter their circumstances.
But this volunteerism did not stop when her kids graduated from high school She went on to organize the SAVHS Hall of Fame; a group which honors and awards alumni the distinction of becoming members to this unique notoriety. She has nearly singlehandedly continued this effort for the past 13 years. She works tirelessly to recruit nominations, organizes the details, requests input from fellow members, and coordinates the evening presentations. She does this so that others can receive accolades; so that others can be appreciated. And she has most recently added the Service to ISD 282 award to the list of duties she carries out each year. This added award has doubled her work but Mary does not see it that way. She continues to focus on the service of others and recognizing their contributions to the communities in which they reside. I have had the opportunity to work with Mary on these projects for the past five years. She is amazing, kind, thoughtful, considerate, and always looking how to be more creative in making the new inductees feel welcome, appreciated, and supported. That's a person who looks out for the other person!"
And from Ruth Ann Marks:
"Mary has served this past decade as the St. Anthony (Salo, Finland) Sister City Association’s secretary. The Sister City is an active all-volunteer community group with multiple veins of work. Mary’s phenomenal board skills are directly helping us achieve our vision statement of “Making the world smaller through citizen diplomacy.” Mary took the lead on our missional element to “Increase global cooperation at the municipal and school level; and conduct long-term programs of mutual benefit.” Through her work, she asked other community organizations to engage with the Sister City board on shared initiatives. Through this effort, we were able to expand our board of directors to include several local Girl Scouts while they were students. This is another indication of Mary’s focus on developing another generation of St. Anthony leaders."
Congratulations Mary and thank you for your contributions to St. Anthony Village!