DeMartino Named Pittsfield 4th of July Parade Grand Marshal
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Parade Committee announced Tuesday that Mario DeMartino will be the Grand Marshal for July 4th Parade.
DeMartino was chosen because of his high level of volunteerism.
DeMartino is the chairman of the Pittsfield Ethnic Fair and organizes the bucket brigade for the Fourth of July Parade. He is a member of: Order Sons of Italy Lodge 564; Italian American Club of Pittsfield; UNICO of Pittsfield; CIAO of the Berkshires; Faccioli Club of Pittsfield; and the Wahconah Country Club.
He started his career in the Berkshires in 1964 after graduating from Ithaca College the year before. He was the director of physical therapy at Berkshire Rehabilitation Center and later director of physical and occupational therapy. He then was the director of physical therapy at Berkshire Physical Therapy before opening his own DeMartino Physical Therapy, which he ran until his retirement.
During those years, DeMartino was a consultant for various nursing homes. He was chairman of the Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council of the Berkshires from 1976-1980 and also chairman of Berkshire County Association of Allied Health Professionals.
DeMartino has served on the City of Pittsfield Commission on Disabilities and was a former board member of Pittsfield General Hospital, Pontoosuc Lake Advisory Committee, and the Pittsfield YMCA. He currently serves on the Board at Berkshire Healthcare and Hospice Care of the Berkshires.
He is married to Sandra DeMartino and is the father or five children and nine grandchildren.
He was awarded the YMCA G. Fred Lincks Award in 2007 and the Berkshire Health Systems Francis X. Doyle Award in 2013.
The Parade Committee also announced that the late Joanne Hayes will be an honorary grand marshal.
The Parade Committee chose to honor Hayes because of her years of service as a parade organizer. She served as the secretary of the Pittsfield Parade Committee for more than a decade.
Hayes also volunteered much of her time with the Sacred Heart Parish Council and organized their Holiday Gift Bizarre. She was employed by Berkshire Health Systems until October of 2013.
