AMESBURY — While volunteering has never been a challenge for Harriett Gould, speaking in public is something that she fears. After years of accepting awards for her dedication to Amesbury, Gould said speaking about herself never gets any easier.
Yet, receiving awards is something the 86-year-old town icon seems to do well. After more than six decades of volunteering in Amesbury, Gould has received the Paul Harris Award, Amesbury Educational Foundation Hall of Fame Award and the outstanding volunteer award by the Amesbury Alliance.
"If I could step on stage and say 'Thank you,' and walk back to my seat, I would, but they always want to hear more," Gould said about accepting past rewards.
What is there left for the dedicated lifelong Amesbury resident to accomplish? On Jan. 17, at 5 p.m., in the Holy Family Parish Hall, Gould will again face her fear of speaking in public as she is awarded the Layperson of the Year Award. Upon hearing of the honor, Gould said she was stunned.
"I had no idea I was going to receive this award. I am honored but believe there are other people who deserve this more," Gould said, maintaining her well-known modest side.
In the past, she has attended the award ceremony for friends and said the dinner is "simply wonderful." Last year Gould was put on the spot when receiving the Paul Harris Rotarian Award. Her son Jay Gould brought her to Restaurante Molise for the ceremony, which Gould believed was only a family dinner. Jay said despite his mother's fears, the impromptu speech she delivered was moving.
"The speech was from the heart, and she was so well-spoken," Jay said.
Growing up on Amesbury's historic Woodsom Farm, it seems natural that Gould would remain deeply embedded in Amesbury town history. Her personal touch can be seen in every area of Amesbury, from the downtown beautification project to the yearly Woodsom Farm Festival.
"Living here has made me want to try and preserve the town and make it better," Gould said. "It makes me feel good to be a part of everything."
Thinking back, she recalls her first time volunteering at the Amesbury Hospital in 1948.
"Back then, it was about helping everyone because of the war," Gould said. "I have carried that same spirit with me throughout the years."
Today, she volunteers and serves on numerous boards throughout town, including the Macy Colby House, which just made the National Historic Register, Amesbury Alliance, Carriage Museum, Amesbury Improvement Association, Cultural Alliance of the Merrimack Valley, Bicentennial Commission, the Whittier Home and Main Street Congregational Church.
In the fall, Gould spearheaded the effort to put a sign at Alliance Park. The park is situated on the site where the Alliance, one of the first frigates in the Continental Navy, was built in 1778. The ship was named for the alliance between France and the American colonies.
"The sign at the park was a big accomplishment for me," Gould said. "The Layperson of the Year honor is another unexpected accomplishment."
Marie Legace, friend and Amesbury Council of Churches member, said she does not know where Gould gets the time to do everything she does.
"I always ask her if she has time to sleep," Legace said. "She has done so many things for this town."
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