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W. Lloyd Oakes named grand marshal for Fourth of July parade

Date: 6/14/2011

June 13, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — W. Lloyd Oakes has lived in East Longmeadow since 1953 and has seen many Fourth of July parades.

This year, he gets to lead one.

At the Annual Town Meeting, Oakes was officially announced as the Grand Marshall for this year's parade. While his address to the town at the meeting was a brief "thank you," don't think he takes the position lightly.

"They only choose one a year, so obviously it's an honor," Oakes told Reminder Publications.

Oakes said he's excited to be a part of an annual town tradition whose ability to grow and thrive mirrors that of the town itself.

"The parade was always nice when Marshall Hanson, who was one of the parade's originators, was running things," Oakes said. "But since Carl [Ohland] has taken over, the parade keeps adding a little bit more every year."

Oakes' list of accomplishments and contributions to the town of East Longmeadow is a long and distinguished one.

Celebrating 55 years of marriage on June 20 with his wife Gloria, Oakes is a father of two daughters, Ellen and Gale, and two sons, Mark and Michael.

Oakes has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maine and a master's in business administration from Western New England University.

He served eight years in the United States Navy Reserves and is a member of the Navy League of the United States, a civilian organization that supports the U.S. Navy. He is also the chairman of the Navy Sea Cadets program.

He has been an active member of the Lions Club for 24 years, earning the honor of Lion of the Year in 1993 and the Distinguished Citizen Award in 2001.

He was active in town recreation and athletics, serving as the chairman of the Recreation Commission and director and coordinator of the East Longmeadow Recreation Association. Oakes was also responsible for the creation of the town's grade school basketball program.

He is also a certified instructor with the Special Olympics and a ski instructor for the blind and he and and his wife, Gloria, co-coached several girls' softball teams.

He also was active in town government, holding seats on the Appropriations Committee from 1984 to 1998, the Cable Advisory Committee from 1985 to 2008, the Local Cable Access Committee from 1990 to 2008 and the School Energy Conservation Committee.

His frequent involvement and donations to the Blood Donors' Group, for which he was chairman from 1990 to 2008, earned him the nickname "Count Dracula." The group has donated 758 pints of blood, in addition to 11 platelets donations by organizing blood drives and arranging car pools to ease the burden of transportation on those who wish to donate.



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