Thanks Jim Ponsot and Dick McKinney

It was back in 2008 when Dick McKinney asked me if I would come to a meeting to help revive the Veteran's Day Parade in Quincy. It had been some 35 years since Quincy held a Veteran's Day Parade and Dick was hoping I would be able to share some contacts and information from the St. Patrick's Parade with him. I was more than happy to assist.

It was at that initial meeting that I met Jim Ponsot. Jim and Dick were co-chairs for that first parade and they have been ever since. Putting a parade on is no easy task. You have to get a permit from the city, line up security, insurance and so forth. I was glad I could help these two gentlemen with some of the details needed to start up a parade. The first year is always the hardest in that you have no reference to the past. Especially since the past was 35 years earlier.

What these two men did was remarkable. They not only pulled off a great parade but they did so with flair with a military flyover to cap it off. Over the years there have been other flyovers and a growing entry list too. Both men have shown a passion for this event and it shows.

Saturday's parade marked the end of Jim Ponsot's involvement as co-chair. At 86 years of age, Ponsot, the retired World War Two Navy Veteran, is stepping aside. McKinney, an Air Force Veteran, is 67 and will hold down the position as parade director knowing full well that Ponsot will be just a phone call away.

Prior to the parade starting on Saturday, a ceremony was held for Jim Ponsot thanking him for his involvement in reviving one of Quincy's great traditions.....the Veteran's Parade.

Thanks to both Jim Ponsot and Dick McKinney.