FITCHBURG
DISTRICT COURT DESIGNATED AS
GELINAS COURTHOUSE HONORING JUDICIAL LEGACY
Leaders
of the Judiciary and City of Fitchburg participated today
in a ceremony to designate the Fitchburg District Court
as the Gelinas Courthouse. The honor recognizes the many
contributions of the late Honorable A. Andre Gelinas
and the Honorable Andre A. Gelinas to the judiciary,
the bar and civic affairs of Fitchburg for more than
85 years.
Judge
Andre A. Gelinas served on the Massachusetts Appeals
Court from 1999 to 2008 after serving as a judge on the
District Court since 1979. He now serves as the Special
Advisor to the Chief Justice for Administration & Management
for Information Technology. His late father, Honorable
A. Andre Gelinas, was appointed in 1931 as a Special
Justice of the Fitchburg District Court and later served
as Assistant District Attorney and District Attorney
in Worcester County. In 1924, he founded the law firm
Gelinas & Ward, which is the oldest continuously
operating firm in the North County.
U.S.
Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman served as master
of ceremonies. Speakers included Supreme Judicial Court
Justice Judith A. Cowin, Appeals Court Chief Justice
Phillip Rapoza, Chief Justice for Administration & Management
Robert A. Mulligan, and District Court Chief Justice
Lynda M. Connolly. Fitchburg Mayor Lisa A. Wong, Representative
Stephen L. DiNatale, Senator Jennifer L. Flanagan, former
Senator Robert Antonioni, and former Worcester County
Assistant District Attorney Warren C. Lane also delivered
remarks.
Reverend Martin P. Donahue, former pastor of St. Christopher’s Parish in Worcester, delivered the invocation and benediction. Fitchburg Boy Scout Troop #17 of the Nashua Valley Council led the Pledge of Allegiance, and music was provided by the Greater Gardner Chamber Choir. The Massachusetts Trial Court Honor Guard also participated in the event.
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