| 2002 "CHARTER DAY" EVENTS |
The year 2002 saw a great expansion in the scope of the Boston Charter Day festivities. The celebrations explored the unique spirit of public service – the desire to create “a city upon a hill” – that has always been a central part of Boston’s identity. Named after the British town of Boston – a word that evolved from “St. Boat Helper” over the years – Boston’s civic ethic of helping strangers who arrive at a port broken and in need of a friend has been present from the very beginning.
The 2002 commemoration took place as the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks renewed a public dialogue about public spirit and public service.
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| Panelists fanelists from the discussion of "Happy Birthday, Boston: Learning Today the Lessons of the Past" held at Faneuil Hall on September 5, 2002 celebration. |
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A panel moderated by Paul Grogan, the president of The Boston Foundation, explored the ties between Boston’s history and its modern-day challenges. Panelists included the Reverend Ray Hammond, one of the founders of the Ten Point Coalition; Gail Snowden of the Community Investment Group at Fleet Boston Financial; Beverly Morgan-Welch, executive director of the Museum of Afro American History; Nancy Seasholes, a Boston University historian; Deborah Prothrow-Stith, associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health; Lynn Browne, senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston; William Fowler, executive director of the Massachusetts Historical Society; and Sam Bass Warner, Jr., the noted urban historian.
Panelists from the discussion of "Happy Birthday, Boston: Learning Today the Lessons of the Past" held at Faneuil Hall on September 5, 2002 celebration. Back row: Rev. Ray Hammond, Bill Fowler
Front row: Lynn Browne, Beverly Morgan-Welch, Nancy S. Seasholes, Gail Snowden, Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Paul Grogan and Sam Bass Warner
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| Mayor Menino cutting Boston's Birthday Cake 2002 |
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The Boston Public Library hosted Boston's 372nd Birthday Party in its renovated courtyard. Mayor Thomas M. Menino presided over the event, cutting a giant flatcake decorated with a map of Boston and its neighborhoods and leading celebrants in singing “Happy Birthday” to Boston. Visitors included the former mayor of Boston, England and descendants of previous Boston mayors. Under an arrangement with the Boston History Collaborative, actors and singers performed scenes from Boston’s four centuries of history. The Boston Children’s Museum provided materials for making birthday hats and other crafts. An exhibit of Boston documents from the Boston Public Library’s Rare book collection was on display. Mayor Menino is pictured here assisting in cutting the Charter Day cake.
The First and Second Church and the Old North Church held special interfaith services. Local civic leaders as well as visitors from Boston, England participated in the ceremony at the First and Second Church, which employed traditional Puritan psalms. At the Old North Church gathering, Stephen G. Breyer – the ninth U.S. Supreme Court Justice from Massachusetts – spoke about the experiences and influence of his eight predecessors. The service marked the debut of the hymn “O Boston!”
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