Avezzie is the 2009 Elk of the Year

Date: 2/2/2009

By Ashlene Ferris

Staff Intern



SPRINGFIELD Forty years of membership and still going strong -- that's why Raymond "Buddy" Avezzie has been awarded Italian Elk of the year.

On Feb. 11, Avezzie will be honored for his commitment to the Springfield Elks during a special dinner.

Avezzie humbly joked that the Elk of the Year was chosen by process of elimination and his name was last.

"I am very proud of the organization and what we do," he said in an interview with Reminder Publications. "We [have] a camaraderie and I have met some of my greatest friends through the Elks, and when I die I'll still be an Elk."

Fellow Elk John "Sam" Courtney said Avezzie is well-deserving of the award.

"He does an outstanding job," Courtney said. "I've known Buddy for a long time, since grammar school and high school. He's a boon to the lodge. I brought him in to play handball, and he's been doing a great job ever since. He deserves the award. I'm proud of him and I hope that he keeps doing what he's being doing."

Avezzie was born, raised and educated in Springfield, making the award that much more special to the Springfield native. He married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn Bertrand, and has two daughters, Lisa and Michelle and an adopted son Rick Sales. Avezzie said he believes in the Elk organization, and the bonds and friendships that have formed there.

"When I lost my wife in 1996, fellow Elk members and their families rallied around me and supported me with anything I needed. They are all so caring and giving," Avezzie said.

By 1971, he started getting involved in committees such as the Youth Activities and the Veterans. He has remained active ever since, serving on just about every committee in the lodge.

Avezzie was elected for his fifth term as West District Director of the Massachusetts Elks Scholarship Committee and the State's Mayor project. He also serves on the state's Veteran Committee and State Government Relations Committee, and presently serves the city of Springfield as a member of the Board of Public Works.

"I'm very proud to be working with the young boys and girls, and working with the vets means an awful lot to me," he said.

By 1983, Avezzie was appointed Inner Guard by Exalted Ruler Ev Tetreault, and went on to serve as Exalted Ruler of the lodge from 1989 to 1990.

In 1990, he was named Italian Elk of the Year, Springfield Lodge Elk of the Year, and in June of 1990 was honored by the State President Joe Genelli when he was named Massachusetts State Elk of the Year.

"This lodge is a big production, and a great community," Avezzie said. "It's like running a business. Everyday is a new experience."

Avezzie joked that his nickname around the lodge over the years has become "the owner," but to him being an Elk means just a bunch of friends having a lot of fun raising money for scholarships and other charitable causes to give it all away.