I often wonder if Mr. Grozier thought that his “publicity stunt” launched 100 years ago this month would turn into a New England tradition? But here we are and hundreds of towns continue to honor their eldest citizens with this simple, elegant award.
The centennial of the cane has raised awareness of the cane and its tradition. We’ve received dozens of updates from town clerks and historical societies. We’ve updated the state pages with these kindly provided updates (and corrections!). If I didn’t get back to you personally, Thank You for taking the time to send your town’s information.
My great grandfather Arthur F. Coughlin, born in Cambridge, Ma in 1843, and died Nov 5, 1929 was awarded the cane sometime in the 1920″s. I have been trying to get more info on him and his family and ran across this site via the Boston Post.