by Robb Macomber
The Marblehead Festival of Arts mourns the passing of yet
another Festival Angel, Harry D. "Rick" Giles, Jr.,
who died suddenly on January 4, 2004. Yet, in his passing,
we celebrate and remember his life and years of commitment
and service to the organization, the community, his friends
and his family.
"Rick and the Marblehead Festival of Arts went together
like soup and a sandwich." Throughout the 1970s, 8's
and early 90s within the Festival's rank and file,
the name Rick Giles was synonymous with Crocker Park, Performing
Arts, and the Sound & Lights Committee. Back then, one
could not imagine an Arts Festival without him. Over time,
most had never known an Arts Festival that he hadn't been
involved in. This unwavering commitment, while not unheard
of, was rare, indeed; clearly a cut above. Few involved today,
however, knew Rick within this context. Most knew him in his
capacity as an officer with the Marblehead Auxiliary Police
or in some other manner or capacity. But Rick's efforts and
the scope of his contributions during his 20-plus years of
service are well known and well remembered by those "old
few" of us who were there then, and had the privilege
of working with and knowing him.
While "The Festival" as a whole was near and dear
to Rick, it was Crocker Park that he called home during the
4th of July event every year, serving as Sound Design Engineer
and Co-Chairman of the technical staff responsible for creating
the environment and producing the Performing Arts events that
took place there. "Rick and I were like peas in a pod
back then, serving as Co-Chairmen running the Crocker Park
events for the festival all those years as well as being long
time friends both on and off stage."
Still, Rick's commitment to the Festival didn't end at Sound
& Lights and Crocker Park. He also served as a member
of the Board of Directors and was called upon for his technical
advice and assistance in many other Festival matters. He was
a driving force behind the development and evolution of the
"Crocker Park Experience," as one might say. It
is largely due to his efforts along those lines that the Arts
Festival has its current day stage and the majority of the
infrastructure used to create and support the Crocker Park
Performing Arts venue.
“The Festival was in his blood, and I know it was with
some degree of reluctance when he stepped down to pursue his
career with the Marblehead Auxiliary Police.” Who could
argue, however, a career move from "helping others",
to "helping others." It is in this light that Rick
was so well known and will be so well remembered.
Lead by the efforts of the Marblehead Police Department, monies
have been raised to fund the placement of a bench in Crocker
Park in Rick’s memory. “I can't think of anywhere
more appropriate to mark a place for him in life, in our lives,
and in the life of the town he served.”
A life long resident of Marblehead, Rick was the son of Anne
Giles and the late Harry D. Giles, Sr. of Bradlee Rd. He is
survived by his mother Anne, sister Anne, wife Linda, and
their extended families. Godspeed, Rick.
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