Congratulations to John MacDonald, a member of the Dracut Economic Development Committee. John received the Varnum Award at the Board of Selectmen's meeting on March 22, 2022, mainly for his work with veterans over the years.
The Varnum Award is given annually to a member of the Dracut community who exemplifies the civic and patriotic spirit of Joseph Bradley Varnum. Varnum was a veteran of the American Revolution who later served as a delegate to the Massachusetts state convention and voted for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
John is a tireless volunteer and advocate for veterans causes, especially wounded and homeless veterans. An Air Force veteran of Desert Storm, John is a founding member of Veterans Assisting Veterans, an all-volunteer organization, and was recently named commander of American Legion Post 87 in Lowell.
In September 2021, John spearheaded a trip for Vietnam veterans to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The trip was sponsored by Pepperell-based 1A Auto Parts, the premier and leading online, do-it-yourself auto-parts company in the country, for which John works as Public Relations and Real Estate Director.
John, son of Millie MacDonald and the late John MacDonald Sr., was nominated for the Varnum Award by fellow resident and veterans advocate Kevin Richardson, Dracut’s former police chief.