South Boston Graduate Receives $5,000 Award

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today announced the recipient of the annual scholarship honoring the memory of Tommy Butler, the long-time Massport Director of Government and Community Affairs and son of South Boston. The $5,000 Thomas J. Butler Memorial Scholarship was awarded to South Boston resident MaryRose Maiullari. MaryRose is a graduate of Boston Latin School and will be attending Northeastern University. The Thomas J. Butler Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a student who resides in South Boston, is graduating from high school and has been accepted to an accredited college or university.

“Tommy Butler's legacy will always be that of someone who gave back to his community. Congratulations to MaryRose and her family for being selected to receive this scholarship in Tommy's name,” said State Representative Nick Collins. “I know she will continue to make our community proud as she moves on to college.”

Butler was the former mayor of the South Boston Boys Club, Youth Counselor and then Director of Little City Hall in Charlestown and former president of the South Boston Citizens Association and member of the South Boston Irish American Society. When he arrived at Massport in 1987 as a manager of intergovernmental relations, he was a licensed social worker who had worked in the Boston Juvenile Court, and for the City of Boston.

“We are very pleased to award MaryRose with the Thomas J. Butler Scholarship. MaryRose has shown a commitment to following in Tommy’s footsteps with her community service and we wish her the best of luck. Her commitment to family and community epitomizes what we were looking for when we established the scholarship in memory of our friend and colleague Tommy Butler,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn.

“I would like to personally congratulate MaryRose on being the recipient of the Thomas Butler Memorial Scholarship. As a lifelong South Boston resident and close personal friend of Tommy, I was able to witness firsthand the extraordinary impact he had on our community and it is wonderful that we are able to honor his memory with this scholarship. MaryRose is a young woman with an extremely bright future ahead of her, as well as an already impressive past of outstanding commitment to her community, family, and schoolwork. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors,” said City Councilor Bill Linehan.

To be considered for the Thomas J. Butler Scholarship, students are required to have a minimum 3.0 grade point average and submit an essay of 1,000 words describing their career interests or how their community service has affected their outlook on life. In her essay, MaryRose described the importance of contributing to her school community as well as her South Boston neighborhood. Scholarship essays are judged by a committee made up of Massport employees and a representative of the Butler family. Students interested in applying for the 2014 scholarship should visit www.massport.com/scholarships for eligibility requirements.

(left to right) Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn, Scholarship recipient MaryRose Maiullari and Thomas Butler Jr.

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport. Massport is a financially self-sustaining public authority whose premier transportation facilities generate more than $8 billion annually, and enhance and enable economic growth and vitality in New England. No state tax dollars are used to fund operations or capital improvements at Massport facilities. For more information please visit massport.com.

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