Special to the Times
Keeta Gilmore, recipient of the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s 28th annual Beacon Award, is seen with her two grandsons, Charlie (4) and John (8) Mangum.
During the Beacon Hill Civic Association annual members’ meeting on Thursday, May 22, at Hampshire House, Keeta Gilmore received the 28th annual Beacon Award, which each year, publicly honors an individual or group whose leadership has made a sustained and significant positive impact on quality of life in the neighborhood.
A microbiologist by profession, Gilmore relocated from her home state of Oklahoma to Beacon Hill in 2004. She joined the Civic Association after learning about the group from a flier she received in the mail soon afterwards.
Since Gilmore could often be found cleaning up the sidewalk in front of her home, she caught the attention of the then-chair of the Civic Association’s Trash Committee, who recruited her to join them.
Gilmore’s responsibilities within the Civic Association soon grew even more at the behest of Suzanne Besser, who was then serving as the organization’s executive director. (Besser herself was awarded the 27th annual Beacon Award during the Civic Association’s annual members’ meeting last May at the Somerset Club.)
“[Besser] had the uncanny ability to very subtilty get you to say ‘yes’ to whatever needed to be done, but it was always a pleasure to work with her, and I soon found myself involved in several committees,” Gilmore recalled in a recent email.
Russ Gaudreau, long-serving chair of the Beacon Award Nominating Committee, as well as a BHCA board member, first met Gilmore when she was co-chairing the committee for the Civic Association’s annual gala, and he was immediately impressed with her.
“Keeta always impressed me and the neighborhood as the kind of person who once she wants to get involved in something, she really gets involved,” said Gaudreau. “She’s an impressive person when one meets her one on one. She’s very smart, very capable, and very business-like but also very caring.”
Gaudreau’s favorable first impression of Gilmore was entirely expected, though, given the glowing praise he’d already heard lavished upon her.
“The reputation she had from people who worked with her was if she said she would do something, she did it, and that she’s very reliable and always follows through,” said Gaudreau.
After serving on several Civic Association committees over the course of a couple of years, Gilmore was asked to join the board in 2010. She also became an active member of the Zoning & Licensing Committee around this time.
Within about a year, Gilmore was named board clerk, and then in 2012, she was named president of the board. She served in that role for the term limit of two years, followed by the next two years as board chair (again reaching the term limit).
“During my years on the BHCA board, particularly in leadership roles, I gained an appreciation for the ways the BHCA ties the community together,” Gilmore wrote. “I think biggest thing that people find most surprising about Beacon Hill is what a closeknit neighborhood it is especially for a downtown metropolitan neighborhood. And a lot of the credit for that goes to the BHCA, which rallies the neighborhood when things need to get done, acts as a conduit for people to socialize, listens to the concerns of neighbors to help solve problems, and keeps the neighborhood very activated.”
Recalling Gilmore’s rapid ascent within the Civic Association’s ranks, Gaudreau said, “Everything happened very quickly. I don’t think she ever aspired [to move into a leadership position]. It just kind of happened. She was asked along the way to take on these roles, and she always said, ‘yes.’”
When Gaudreau and Besser formed the Civic Association’s Governance Committee around 2016, they immediately asked Gilmore to join as one of its charter members.
“We wanted her because of her understanding of the structure, the bylaws, and the best practices for the organization,” said Gaudreau. “She gains such quick knowledge, we thought she would be perfect.”
Gilmore also served on both the BHCA Tree and Nominating committees around this same time.
Besides leaving her indelible mark on the Civic Association, Gilmore has held leadership roles at a range of other neighborhood organizations.
She served on the Beacon Hill Circle for Charity board, including stints as corresponding secretary and clerk; on the Beacon Hill Garden Club board, including roles as treasurer from 2020-24, Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill tour chair in 2020 (unfortunately canceled due to covid), and co-chair the previous year; on the Nichols House Museum board from 2017-23, including a stint as its president from 2021-23; and on the Friends of the Public Garden Green Committee from 2020-22.
Moreover, Gilmore served on the Nichols House Museum board in a variety of roles, including as president, Holiday House Tour chair and co-chair, and as a member of the Board of Governors. She also previously served on the Beacon Hill Village Council from 2016-23 and as a member of the Vincent Club.
“Another thing you realize in serving in leadership roles in other organizations on Beacon Hill is how intertwined many of the organizations are and how they work together, which I think is also unique a real strength of our neighborhood,” Gilmore wrote.
About a year ago, Gilmore stepped away from life on Beacon Hill, and she’s now living in Yarmouth, Maine, where she’s close by her daughter, her son-in-law, and her two young grandsons (ages 4 and 8).
And while the Hill still remains close to her heart, Gilmore said she was still “completely surprised and overwhelmed” to learn she had been selected as this year’s Beacon Award recipient.
“I’m so thankful to be recognized for my years of work with the Civic Association and other organizations on Beacon Hill that I truly miss,” Gilmore stated.
But even so, receiving this year’s Beacon Award won’t be the first major accolade bestowed on Gilmore in recognition of her positive impact in the community.
Gilmore was previously nominated for the 2021 Commonwealth Heroine Award by Rep. Jay Livingstone. Via this awards program, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women partners with state legislators to identify women who make substantial positive contributions in their communities or organizations for recognition.
“The Commonwealth Heroines of 2021 are truly the ones who have kept the community together when we needed it the most,” a letter Gilmore received from the commission reads in part. “They may not always make the news, but they most assuredly make a difference. You have been selected you use your time, talent, spirit, and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others.”
In anticipation of receiving this year’s Beacon Award, Gilmore was asked to reflect on her proudest accomplishments in the neighborhood over the years.
“I am proudest to have met and worked with, and to have become friends with so many accomplished and wonderful people,” Gilmore replied. “We worked so hard but had a lot of fun along the way, and I learned so much. Beacon Hill is truly a special place!”