In a small ceremony on Wednesday, October 4, in her home, members of the Medway Historical Commission presented 104-year-old Millie Badalucco with the Boston Post Cane. The gold tip cane was given to Medway officials more than one hundred years ago by the Boston Post newspaper. At that time, canes were passed out by the newspaper to more than 700 regional officials to instill a tradition of "passing the cane" to the oldest person in town as an honor.

Town Clerk Stefany Ohannesian was proud to honor Mrs. Millie Badalucco by presenting her with a cane. At the same time, Morgan Harris, Medway's Assistant Town Clerk, gave her the official Boston Cane certificate equally graciously. 

Paul Russell, Vice Chair of the Historical Commission, gave a small speech. Please find his words below:

"I would like to welcome everyone to this very special occasion to honor Millie Badalucco.  We are not often in the company of a centenarian, so we should consider ourselves blessed. Yoko Ono once said, “Some people are old at 18, and some are young at 90; time is a concept humans created”.  It appears that Millie is an excellent example of this belief.

First, a little about Millie: she was born in Queens, New York, on May 15, 1919.  She was one of nine children.  When she was young, she worked in a pocketbook factory for a brief time. Millie got married in 1941, after which her husband served during WWII. Her only child, Cathy, was born in 1948.  In 1980, her husband passed away.  Millie moved to Kenny Drive, Medway, in 1991 and lived there for 20 years.  She then moved in with her daughter Cathy on Hillview Terrace. Millie is the proud grandmother of Andrew and Laura. Andrew’s wife is Nicole, and Laura’s husband is John Manchester. Millie has two great-grandchildren, James and Michael Manchester. I want to share a brief history of the Boston Post Cane.  In the early 1900s, the Boston Post was the region’s major newspaper, similar to today’s Boston Globe. The tradition of the Boston Post Cane started in 1909. Edwin A. Grozier, the publisher of the Post, sent a cane to the Boards of Selectmen of 700 New England towns requesting that they be presented to the oldest living male citizen of each town. The original canes were ebony adorned with a gold knob engraved with the town’s name and the words Boston Post Cane. Beginning about 1930, some of the Boards of Selectmen began presenting the cane to the oldest citizens, whether they were male or female. The Boston Post newspaper went out of business in 1956, but the tradition continues in many towns. Medway’s cane was misplaced years ago. The Medway Historical Commission renewed the practice several years ago and purchased a replica cane. It is with great pleasure that we present Millie Badalucco, the oldest citizen in Medway, with Medway’s Boston Post Cane." Paul Russell, Vice Chair of the Historical Commission

Others in attendance included Jeanne Johnson and Cher Hamilton, Co-Chairs of the Historical Commission, Millie's daughter, Cathy, Millie's grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and friends. 

Congratulations to Millie!