By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The town is remembering the life and legacy of David Drislane.
Select Board Chair Dick Dalton said during Monday’s meeting that Drislane passed away on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the age of 94. Drislane served on the Board of Selectmen from 1988-1999.
“Most people in town will remember Dave for his distinguished service as a selectman,” said Dalton. “He served on the board for 12 years, and never faced an opponent. Dave played a major role in making our community what it is today.”
The Select Board named Drislane and former Selectman/Town Administrator/Town Moderator H. Joseph Maney as the recipients of the third annual Daniel Townsend Award for Excellence in the fall of 2019. In addition to serving four terms on the Board of Selectmen, Drislane also served on the Finance Committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals. He also served as the marshal of the town’s Bicentennial and Tercentennial Parade in June 2014.
“Over the years, Dave did countless things to improve the lives of people by his charitable and civic undertakings,” said Dalton. “That is why several years ago the Select Board awarded Dave the Daniel Townsend Award for his lifetime of volunteerism.”
Dalton also said Drislane was a dedicated member of Lynnfield Rotary for a number of decades.
“Dave was a distinguished Rotarian who served as president of the Lynnfield chapter and district governor,” said Dalton. “He lived his life in a manner that exemplified the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self.’ Our condolences to the Drislane family.”
Former Selectman/Town Moderator Arthur Bourque said in an interview with the Villager that he served with Drislane on the Board of Selectmen from 1992-1996.
“Dave was a legend in Lynnfield,” said Bourque. “He was so involved with making Lynnfield a great place to live. He was a great guy to work with on the Board of Selectmen, and the best part was you couldn’t question his motives. He always wanted what was best for Lynnfield.”
Bourque also said Drislane was “the definition of a gentleman.”
“You never saw him get upset and he was very mild-mannered,” said Bourque. “He could disagree without being disagreeable. That was a unique quality.”
Former Selectman/retired Assistant Fire Chief Bob MacKendrick said Drislane was “a great friend and a mentor.”
“Dave served four terms as a selectman, and he did a great job,” said MacKendrick in an interview with the Villager. “He encouraged me to run for selectman. I also dealt with him when I was on the Fire Department and he was a selectman. He was fair and reasonable when we talked and negotiated with him when we went in for budgets and things like that.”
MacKendrick also noted that Drislane was “very active in Rotary” and served as Rotary District 7930’s district governor from 1964-1965. He also served as Lynnfield Rotary’s president and was an active board member.
“Dave was a great guy,” said MacKendrick. “I can’t say enough good things about him. He lived a long and good life. He did a lot of good work during his life.”
Rotarian Bob Priestley said Drislane was a dear friend whom he will miss dearly.
“Because I lost my father at the young age of 13 to cancer, I subconsciously sought out father figures during my life,” said Priestley. “I found two that profoundly impacted my life, and Dave was one of them. I admired and respected him beyond words. Dave warmly welcomed and took me under his wing as I journeyed my way through Rotary upon joining the club some 20 years ago. We bonded and became great friends. Along with sharing our values of faith, love of family and love of country, we also shared the art of photography, although Dave was an amazingly talented wildlife photographer. To say I was saddened by this news is a profound understatement. I was crushed. Dave was one in a million and the true epitome of a Rotarian. He lived and breathed ‘Service Above Self.’ Godspeed my friend, until we meet again.”
Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin said he first met Drislane while he was covering the town as a newspaper journalist.
“I met Dave not long after I began as a reporter in Lynnfield 40 years ago,” said Curtin. “He was elected to the Select Board four times without opposition, which is a pretty good indication of the esteem in which he was held. He was a straight shooter and was a born leader, decisive and thoughtful, but willing to change his mind. And he was dedicated to service, from his town positions to the Rotary to innumerable acts of service for which he sought no recognition.”
Former Select Board/School Committee member Chris Barrett agreed.
“Lynnfield is the extraordinary community it is today thanks to Mr. Drislane’s unwavering dedication to making it the best it could be,” said Barrett. “Every leader who followed him worked to build on the solid foundation he established, continuing his commitment to excellence. While this is a significant loss for our town, we take comfort in knowing his legacy lives on in the spirit of Lynnfield — in how we come together and strive for the best, just as he did. Following Mr. Drislane’s example of excellence in serving our town would be the greatest tribute we could pay to him.”
Drislane was born in Lynn on March 25, 1931. He was raised and educated in Lynn, and graduated from Boston College. The longtime Lynnfield resident was the retired president of Essex Bituminous Concrete Corporation of Peabody. He was a communicant of the Our Lady of the Assumption Church of Lynnfield. He also served in the United States Army during the Korean conflict.