CAMBRIDGE — Members of the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce held their 74th Annual Dinner on Thursday at the Hyatt Resort. A full house of 300 members and guests witnessed the late Gerry Boyle’s family accept the C. Robert “Bob” Spedden Award on his behalf, and heard Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Sec. Kenneth C. Holt’s update on state contributions to local growth.

Mr. Boyle died suddenly last year. He was remembered for his devotion to local causes, especially the Ironman races, and the Chamber of Commerce.
“My uncle’s life was dedicated to service,” his niece Julie Strohmer said. “He tried to divert all attention from himself.”

The family also received a flag from Mr. Boyle’s Ironman colleague Angie Hengst and Keith Graffius, representing Congressman Andy Harris (R-1). Mr. Graffius said Rep. Harris had been moved to learn of Mr. Boyle’s acquiring U.S. citizenship. As a veteran of the British Army and proud of his heritage, he also loved the United States and in particular, wanted to vote.

So after living in this country for many years, Mr. Boyle finally became a citizen. Rep. Harris requested that a flag be flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of Mr. Boyle, and that folded flag, in a special display case, was also presented to the family on Thursday.

Mr. Holt spoke about his agency’s activities in Dorchester, telling the crowd that the state has spent $55 million in Cambridge in the last five years. Work being done on the Phillips Packing House, on waterfront and U.S. 50 development will in turn create more growth, he said. “I think there will be a combination of businesses that will feed off of each other,” Sec. Holt said. “You can be confident that we will succeed in this.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a preliminary article on the event. Check Wednesday's Dorchester Banner for more on the dinner.