For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Essex Tech Homecoming Gala Raises $68,000 for Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage

From left: Maryellen Larkin, Superintendent Heidi Riccio, Principal Shannon Donnelly and Robert Larkin. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

Essex Agricultural Society Members Bill Fitzgerald, left, and James O’Brien, right, with Superintendent Heidi Riccio. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

Maryellen Larkin speaks at the Essex Tech Homecoming Gala on Oct. 19. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

From left: Superintendent Heidi Riccio, Essex Tech Administrator Jennifer Skane, Essex Tech Administrator Sandra Goldstein and Masonry Instructor Dave Collins. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

From left: Director of Academic Programs at Essex Tech Dr. Thomas O’Toole, Superintendent Heidi Riccio and Essex Aggie Alumni Bob Wood and Ted Dunjnaski. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

Back row, from left: School Committee Members Gene Demsey, Marc Strout, Wayne Marquis, Bruce Perkins and Gary Hathaway. Front row, from left: School Committee Member James O’Brien, School Committee Member Francis DiLuna, School Committee Member Valerie Gilman, School Committee Member Alice McDonald, Superintendent Heidi Riccio, School Committee Member James Picone and Principal Shannon Donnelly. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

Superintendent Heidi Riccio, left, with Essex Aggie Alumnus Bob Wood, one of the first recipients of the Catherine Larkin Lifetime Service Award. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

Superintendent Heidi Riccio, left, with Essex Aggie Alumnus Ted Dunjnaski, one of the first recipients of the Catherine Larkin Lifetime Service Award. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech) 

Back row, from left: Instructor Mary Carter, senior Jordan Powers, junior Jason Simeone, junior Harry Sorrell, sophomore Charles Locke and freshman Joseph Hnulik. Front row, from left: Culinary students junior Allyson Countie, junior Malachy McAdams, sophomore Taylor Morse and sophomore Angelena Curcuru. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

Alumni, local legislators, donors and various Essex Tech community members attended the Homecoming Gala on Oct. 19. (Courtesy Photo Essex Tech)

DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that the Essex Tech community raised approximately $68,000 to support the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project at the Homecoming Gala this October.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, more than 200 people attended the Homecoming Gala on the lawn in front of Smith Hall, where they gathered to support the project and enjoy a meal prepared by Essex Tech culinary students.

Funds from the gala will support the rebuilding of the Larkin Cottage, which was originally built in 1950 and was named after Catherine Larkin, an alumnus and World War II nurse Lieutenant who died in a plane crash in 1945.

“Thank you to everyone who attended the gala, and who have supported this endeavor,” Riccio said. “The Larkin Cottage has a rich history on our campus, and this project is an exciting chapter for our school. Once finished, the new facility will provide a wonderful space for classes to meet as well as for community gatherings, and the cottage will also house a collection of historic artifacts showcasing Essex Tech’s past.”

State Rep. Ted Speliotis, State Sen. Joan Lovely and State Rep. Thomas Walsh all attended the Gala. Members of the Larkin family also attended and spoke about Catherine.

The first Catherine Larkin Lifetime Service Awards were also awarded to Essex Aggie Alumni Bob Woods, owner of Wood Trucking, and Ted Dunjnaski, owner of Dunjnaski Dairy, at the event.

Funds raised at the gala include a $25,000 donation from the Essex Agricultural Society, as well as approximately $43,000 in private donations.

The new cottage will include an agricultural museum, learning center and community function space. The building will be located directly across Route 62 from the Farm Stand on the school’s main campus. Hundreds of students from various programs at Essex Tech are taking part in the project, including students studying carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing and agriculture.

Essex Tech has raised approximately $250,000 for the project through donations as well as grant funding, and has set a fundraising goal of $1 million.

To donate or learn more about the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage, visit essexnorthshore.org/larkin/.

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