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Retired Veterans Service Officer Terry Stader has been named the Kiwanis Person of the Year, an annual award bestowed on members of the community who have made significant contributions.
Stader has always had a strong commitment to giving back, whether serving his country or serving his community. Early in his career Stader was Senior Chief Petty Officer for the Navy. During his time in the Navy he was decorated with many awards including the Navy Commendation Medal with gold star and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star. He was also named Sailor of the Year for Naval Reserve Readiness Command Region One. This set the pace of hard work and commitment to public service that brought Stader and his family to Westford in 1993.
Stader’s primary role in volunteer endeavors has been to offer communications support to police and fire departments and communications at large, through his training in amateur radio and emergency response. He has been instrumental in expanding the public service aspects of PART, Westford’s Police Amateur Radio Team. PART’s annual Pumpkin Patrol, where PART members patrol the streets of Westford during Halloween and radio back to the Police Department with any reports of mischief, has been coordinated by Stader for decades. Stader has also been instrumental in organizing amateur radio communications for the annual Apple Blossom parade. Kiwanis members use this radio communications service to coordinate parade activities.
Stader became the Veterans Service Officer for the Town of Westford in 2010. In this capacity, he assisted Westford veterans and their families in applying for federal and state assistance. Stader took this job to a high level of commitment going above and beyond by not only helping with federal and state paperwork but counseling veterans and their families on how to handle health, social and financial issues particular to their needs. Many elderly Westford veterans have benefited from this extra effort. State Rep. Jim Arciero recently recognized U.S. Navy retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Stader for his contributions to the wellbeing of local veterans and their families. Stader has also worked with Arciero’s office on veterans housing and educational benefits that were subsequently enacted by state legislation and signed in to law by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.
Because of his many years of service to the Westford community Kiwanis members decided to name Stader the Kiwanis Person of the Year for 2019.
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