Vincent DeBaggis, Terry Anne Vigil Named Nantucket's Seniors Of The Year

The Nantucket Council on Aging has named Vincent DeBaggis and Terry Anne Vigil as the 2024 Nantucket Senior Man and Senior Woman of the Year.

These awards recognize volunteerism by seniors who are active and involved in the community at large.

DeBaggis, a founding member of The Warming Place, is the past president and a current member of the Nantucket Rotary’s board of trustees. He has been a board member of The Homestead for two years and is active in the Knights of Columbus service organization. Residents of Our Island Home welcome DeBaggis once a week for his reading of the newspaper to keep them abreast of local news.

Vigil served on the board of Nantucket’s Habitat for Humanity for 10 years. She is a long-time board member and current treasurer of the Nantucket Interfaith Council and has been instrumental in establishing the Nantucket Food Pantry as well as Nantucket Food, Fuel, and Rental Assistance on whose board she currently serves.

"I nominated Terry Anne Vigil as she is one of those unsung heroes here, that do not seek the limelight or blow their own horn," said Linda Williams, a member of the Council on Aging. "She has made a significant contribution to the health and welfare of the Nantucket community...Terry Anne helped to start the Habitat for Humanity chapter here. Her dedication to improving the community's mental health through other endeavors is also impressive. She is one of the most humble, genuine, gentle yet strong women I have ever met. She is a shining example of what a Senior of the Year should be."

Criteria for the Senior of the Year award include:

• Must be 60 or older
• Enthusiastically involved in the community
• A role model for peers
• Representative of all the outstanding seniors on our island
• Exemplify the “spirit of positive aging”
• Cheerfully willing to help others
• Cannot be a paid employee of a senior center, Council on Aging, or Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands

A total of 16 nominations were received this year for five men and 11 women.

"The contributions of these 16 nominees cannot be overemphasized," the Council on Aging stated in its announcement. "They were selected from an especially active group of seniors who volunteer their time to serve on town boards, actively support island non-profits, and assist individuals in need."

A celebration luncheon honoring this year’s Seniors of the Year, along with all senior volunteers, is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, at Faregrounds restaurant. In addition to some 100 friends and family, it is attended by town and state government officials. The luncheon is sponsored by the NCEA/Friends of Nantucket Seniors.

The Senior of the Year award was founded in 1988. Initially, it recognized one individual each year. In 2004, the council began recognizing one man and one woman each year. Below is a list of prior winners:

• 1988 Faith Oldham
• 1989 Paul Whitten
• 1990 Sylvia Maltby
• 1991 Beatrice Santos
• 1992 Anna McLean
• 1993 Fredrick Cook
• 1994 Joseph Souza
• 1995 Gertrude Bernard
• 1996 John Maury
• 1997 Alcon Chadwick
• 1998 K Anne diCurcio
• 1999 Rev. Ted Anderson
• 2000 Jane Harter
• 2001 Jareaseh St. Jean
• 2002 James King
• 2003 Peggy & Keith Krewson
• 2004 Christine P. Santos and Reginald T. Reed
• 2005 Eileen McGrath and Rev. Warren Gritzke
• 2006 C. Jean Egan and Eldridge “Nick” Norton
• 2007 Mary Glowacki and John McLaughlin
• 2008 Joan Ottinger and Robert F. Mooney
• 2009 Louise G. McGarvey and Joseph Aguiar
• 2010 Louise Benoit and Manny Dias
• 2011 Jackie Seidel and Phil Reed
• 2012 Randy Wight and Paul Connors
• 2013 Sara Johnsen and Francis Pease
• 2014 Emma Rusch and Michael Varbalow
• 2015 Maureen Beck and August Ramos
• 2016 Helene Blair and Maurice Gibbs
• 2017 Fran Karttunen and Ned Wight
• 2018 Peggy Kaufman and Allen Reinhard
• 2019 Jeanette Topham and Peter Richards
• 2020 Cancelled due to Covid pandemic
• 2021 Joanne Polster and Ritch Leone
• 2022 Barbara Kotalac and Bill Grieder
• 2023 Jim Richard and Mary Malavase