NEWBURYPORT — By all accounts, Newburyport native Zachary M. Longley is a people person, and this summer he will get lots of opportunity to interact with city residents and visitors in his new role as Yankee Homecoming town crier.
Longley won the crier post after raising the most money for the annual Yankee Homecoming parade on Aug. 7.
At $1 a vote, Longley earned $5,900, topping contenders Kathleen Bailey and Jose De Pena, who raised $5,500 and $1,000 respectively, he said.
"I'm really pleased for those folks that did support me and wanted me to win, that we did win," Longley, 66, said from his office at the Professional Building on Forrester Street. He purchased the building 31 years ago and based his financial services firm, Northeast Planning Associates, there.
Longley has been involved in numerous community organizations over the years. He is a longtime member and past president of the Rotary Club of Newburyport, an organization that promotes humanitarian service, and chairman of Turning Point, Inc., a local social services agency for disadvantaged individuals. He's also served on the board of Anna Jaques Hospital, Newburyport Education Foundation and Newburyport Education Business Coalition, among others.
"I'm having fun, that's the bottom line," Longley said when asked what motivates him to volunteer for so many different organizations. "It may be from a selfish standpoint. I enjoy it and it makes me feel good."
The town crier post is a bit different, though, particularly since it will require Longley to don an appropriate costume. An old, undated photo postcard of Enoch C. Flanders, who at one time was touted as the only town crier in the United States, shows him dressed in a long, buttoned-up coat and hat, an outfit that would be too hot for a warm summer day.
"I've got to figure out what to wear," he said, laughing.
Growing up, Longley lived first on High Street, then later on Deer Island. His father, Andrew Longley, was an osteopath physician also involved with the Rotary Club. A 1963 graduate of Newburyport High School, Longley earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maine and his master's in business administration from the University of Connecticut.
Part of Longley's joy of living stems from his ability to be positive, even in wartime circumstances. As a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, he spent two years during the Vietnam War in the Mekong Delta, where he said he loved the experience of "running the rivers" with his naval colleagues.
Perhaps it was his naval training in Newport, R.I., or the five years he spent lifeguarding on Plum Island during his youth, that kicked his instincts into gear in 1988. While boating with his young son, Zachary F. Longley, near the mouth of the Merrimack River, he witnessed a helicopter crash in the water. Longley jumped in and rescued the pilot and his two passengers while his son held the boat steady. He received the U.S. Coast Guard's Meritorious Public Service award for his actions. His son, now 31 and working for Northeast Planning Associates in Yarmouth, Maine, also received an award.
One way Longley gives back to compatriots at the U.S. Navy is by working as a Blue and Gold Officer, recruiting and interviewing potential candidates for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. His daughter, Kaitlyn, 28, is one of the school's graduates. She is now pursing a degree in oceanography and meteorology in Monterey, Calif.
Longley's high school football coach, Jack Welch, has remained a friend for the last 50 years. The two are part of a group of men who have played tennis together for 35 years.
"We've stuck together through thick and thin," Welch said. "I'm very fortunate to have him as a friend."
Bill Johnson's friendship with Longley goes back to when they met as 7-year-olds.
"He's a great person, a lot of energy, a lot of personality. He does a lot to help people out," Johnson said.
Longley, who now lives in Kensington, N.H., spends much of his free time in the warmer months at his seasonal cabin on quiet Sheep Island in Maine's Penobscot Bay. His father bought the property more than 60 years ago.
Accessible only by boat, the cabin is powered by solar panels. Sharing it with family and friends is a highlight for Longley.
"I like to be with people," he said. "I always have."
Did you know?
Zack Longley attended grammar school in the building he now owns at 37 1/2 Forrester St., once known as the Currier School.
Longley's late dog, Macgowan, was a western black Labrador named after a beloved Irish colleague.
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