On Thursday, the Glenville Volunteer Fire Company awarded the David N. Theis Award for Outstanding Community Service to Larry Simon.
Civic leaders, including prominent Republicans and Democrats joined Mr. Simon’s friends and family at Tamarack Country Club to thank him for his commitment to Greenwich.
Bea and Peter Crumbine, recipients of the Theis Award in 2019, presented this year’s trophy to Mr. Simon.
Bea and Peter Crumbine spoke of Mr. Simon’s selflessness, partnership, and friendship. They also praised his commitment to Greenwich, noting that in addition to his work with previously mentioned organizations, he also played significant roles with the Greenwich Land Trust, the League of Women Voters, the United Way and the Bruce Museum.
He is currently the chair of the board of directors of The Nathaniel Witherell, the Town owned nursing home.
Police Chief Jim Heavey served as the event’s master of ceremonies, guiding the evening’s presenters, beginning with former First Selectman Peter Tesei, who spoke about how Dave Theis and Larry Simon shared a love for the Town.
Following Tesei was another former First Selectman, Jim Lash, who spoke of Simon’s “under the radar” commitment to the betterment of the Town, whether it was as a member of the BET, the Retirement Board, or any number of other town organizations.
Chief Heavey then joked that the next speaker, former state representative Steve Walko, was never his boss, but liked to boss him around when Walko was the chair of the BET.
Walko had fun with the crowd by telling humorous anecdotes about Simon’s no-nonsense approach to dealing with department heads, before finishing with a list of lighthearted multiple-choice questions about Simon.
Delivering the next testimonial was another former chair of the BET, Mike Mason, who recounted the process of governing the town’s finances with Simon as a partner, and how he learned, “Never ask Larry for funding unless you had a well thought out plan.”
Closing out the testimonials was State Representative Steve Meskers, who presented Larry with an official citation acknowledging his extensive volunteer work.
A former Theis Award recipient, Ed Dadakis, presented Mr. Simon with an official Glenville Volunteer Fire Company badge, but not before mildly protesting to Chief Heavey that he’s still waiting for his “lights and siren” and “the device that turns traffic lights green upon approach.” The chief once again turned down Dadakis’s request.
When it came time for Mr. Simon to address the gathering, he spoke of the virtues of both mathematics and volunteerism. His speech was mostly a plea for people to volunteer their time and expertise to whatever worthy cause presents itself.