News > Spring Dedication Ceremony
Judge Baker Children’s Center honors friends with a Spring Dedication Ceremony
June 6, 2005
Boston, MA – Judge Baker Children’s Center recently held a Spring Dedication Ceremony to honor some of the organization’s most generous supporters and to celebrate their contributions to the Center’s new building in Mission Hill.
The Macomber Gymnasium
On Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Judge Baker staff, Board members, and friends gathered to dedicate the new Macomber Gymnasium, made possible by a gift from longtime supporters George and Ann Macomber. Since its opening in the fall of 2004, the spacious multipurpose complex has been used for Judge Baker’s on-site Manville School and community athletic events, art exhibits, school fairs, and staff gatherings.
George and Ann were presented with Manville Basketball Team jerseys by James Mickles, an Upper School student and captain of the team. James expressed his gratitude to George and Andy with a heartfelt tale of the team’s improved record this year. He attributed the team’s success to the new gymnasium, which is better equipped for full-court basketball games. George Macomber, who has been a member of the Judge Baker Board of Trustees since 1976, is the president of George Macomber Associates, Inc. in Boston and was formerly president and CEO of Macomber Builders.
A Tribute to Joshua
Anyone walking through Judge Baker’s doors on Parker Hill Avenue will notice the life-size bronze statue of a boy quietly reading on a bench. Judge Baker was fortunate to receive the meaningful sculpture, “A Summer Read”, from the Rappaport family. After Joshua Rappaport’s successful bout with cancer, Jim and Cecelia Rappaport commissioned an inspirational bronze statue of their son in memory of their ordeal. The statue was appropriately offered to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute but due to space limitations, the Institute was not able to find an appropriate location for it. Thanks to Jane Mayer, chair of the Dana Farber Art Committee and a Judge Baker Trustee, the Center became the grateful recipient of the beautiful sculpture. The Judge Baker Board of Trustees thanked the Rappaport family for their generosity by presenting them with a photograph of the sculpture. Jim Rappaport is on the Board of Directors of New Boston Fund, Inc.
A Spring Planting
The event also served as the dedication of a honey locust tree outside the front entrance of Judge Baker, planted in honor of longtime Board member, Walter Angoff. For more than thirty years, Walter has been a committed and supportive friend of the Center. Board member Dorothy Weber presented Walter with a photo of Manville lower school students with the “Walter Tree” as a memento of his investment in the bright future of Judge Baker. Walter Angoff is an attorney and partner at Nixon Peabody, LLP in Boston.