Anne Donohue
Jeanne Widmer has held many titles in her life: teacher, mentor, mother, Ed.D., chairwoman and now, heroine. State Representative Dave Rogers (D-24th Middlesex District) honored Widmer as Commonwealth Heroine at a ceremony at the State House earlier this summer.
The Commonwealth Heroine Award is sponsored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. The award recognizes the often-unsung heroines who devote their time, talent, and civic spirit to make a difference in their communities and enrich the lives of others.
“When I walked into the Great Hall of Flags and saw the 125 women recipients from around the state, and learned what they had done, it was inspiring,” said Widmer. “I was more than touched.”
Representative Rogers nominated Widmer for her work in Belmont. Just after moving to Belmont in 1975, Widmer worked on the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment and has since volunteered on dozens of local campaigns. She served on the Belmont School Committee for nine years, including two as chair, and has been a Town Meeting Member since 1981.
“The issue that was the most effort and had the greatest impact was recruiting former School Superintendent Peter Holland,” Widmer said. “He changed the face of public education in Belmont.” Widmer also persuaded the School Committee to allow community participation at the beginning of each meeting.
Widmer founded the Belmont Women’s Resource Center, which provided monthly programs on issues of concern to women. For 20 years, she worked as a tutor and counselor, helping students access education and unlock their potential. She won an award for her volunteer work with Belmont Parent Teacher Organizations, METCO, and youth sports teams. She also received a New England Press Association award for a column she wrote for the Belmont Citizen-Herald.
“In her personal and professional life, Jeanne has exemplified what it means to be a Heroine,” said Rogers. “She is driven by her kindness and desire to give back. I was delighted to honor Jeanne with this award and to participate in a day dedicated to uplifting the women who help build and improve our communities.”
Widmer has worked with countless teenagers to help them with writing and preparing for college.
“I just love teenagers,” Widmer said. “The essays these kids produce are meaningful. They dig inside and look carefully at their lives, maybe for the first time. I love that process. I like to think it helped them to reflect on a special time in their life.”
In the past few years Widmer has taken up photography, not just capturing images of her grandchildren, but with a civic lens. She chronicled the demolition of parts of Cushing Square in 2014 and more recently has focused her camera on the wetlands at Waverley Oaks. Both were exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester.
Widmer encourages women and men to carve out time to volunteer for their community.
“People have to find their passion and go with that. You can chop up a job into pieces, so if someone can’t do whole job, ask: ‘What part can you do?’”
That was Widmer’s recipe for success and it has served her and Belmont well for nearly fifty years.
