The Select Board recognized Heidi Whear, Israela Abrams and Glenn Bartram for their years of service to Swampscott as they head into retirement.

Town Administrator Nick Connors highlighted the retirees’ accomplishments as director of aging services, children’s librarian and firefighter, respectively.

Whear became director of the Senior Center in 2020. A farewell party was held in her honor in June, and the Massachusetts State House recognized her with the Commonwealth Heroine Award.

“She brought to this role a lifetime of experience with older adults, not just in this area but in New York as well,” Connors said. “Whear grew up in Swampscott, returned here with her family, served on the Council on Aging, and helped to establish a Swampscott for All Ages.”

Connors spoke of the “huge impact” Whear had on the community, expanding the Senior Center’s programs in both variety and participation. She also helped establish Seaglass Village, a nonprofit that supports older adults.

“The entire team worked to create a welcoming and responsive center where older adults could stay engaged, get the support they need and find ways to thrive here in the community,” Connors said. “Heidi’s broader commitment to making Swampscott a more understanding and inclusive community also included the Forget Me Not initiative, which not only helped businesses but – importantly for me – town employees to understand ways to best support older adults when they may have needs they don’t express that we need to identify on our own and provide support that’s necessary.”

In a letter to the Select Board, Sabrina Clopton, the assistant director and outreach social worker, wrote that Whear had “succeeded in increasing awareness, acceptance and inclusion for those living with memory loss and their caregivers.”

“She worked tirelessly to promote the health and wellbeing of older adults in our community,” Clopton wrote. “Heidi embodied her passion for service everyday in her work.”

Abrams served as co-head of the library’s children’s department. She worked at the Swampscott Library for 31 and a half years.

“Libraries are often thought of as places to borrow books, but Izzi’s career has been about so much more than that,” Connors said. “For more than three decades, she supported children to discover the joy of reading, supported families during some of the earliest learning experiences, and created a welcoming place where memories were made.”

Abrams hosted storytimes and led crafts, teddy bear picnics and other events that encouraged a love of reading.

“She also helped organize other memorable events such as the story train to Rockport, bringing families from communities along the rail line together for a day of stories and adventures,” Connors said. “These programs were more than just activities. They gave children an opportunity to learn, explore and build confidence on their own, and to build a lifelong connection to not only books but to the library.”

Long before joining the Swampscott Fire Department, Bartram immersed himself in learning everything he could about firefighting, Connors said. Before joining the department, he spent time observing firefighters, visiting other departments and asking questions to prepare for the career he knew he wanted. He went on to serve Swampscott for 28 years.

“Glenn was preparing himself for a career he knew he wanted, serving the community he loved as a firefighter,” Connors said. “He brought with him the considerable skills he developed as a trained carpenter and also the extraordinary passion of public service and for firefighting.”

Connors said Bartram was known “for his dependable presence and his steady hand” on the scene, but “those who served alongside him would likely say his compassion and skill were most evident in providing emergency medical care.” 

“Over the course of his career, Glenn was a calming and reassuring presence for hundreds of residents and their families, many of whom encountered him on one of the most difficult days that they would face in their lives,” Connors said. “His compassion, professionalism and commitment to serving others set an example for generations of young firefighters.”