Peabody residents Martha Holden and Christins Tron were selected as 2024 Commonwealth Heroines by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW).
Holden was nominated by Rep. Tom Walsh and Tron was nominated by Rep. Sally Kerans.
“What impresses me most about Martha is that when most people retire, they focus on more leisurely priorities,” Walsh said. “Martha, on the other hand, has devoted herself to more community initiatives such as the North Shore Children’s Museum and Citizens Inn. She has an innate quality for making the lives of those she volunteers for better.”
Holden and Tron were among more than 125 award recipients from across the state, ranging in age from 18 to 90, to be honored at the MCSW’s 21st annual Commonwealth Heroines Celebration. The celebration was held in the State House’s Gardner Auditorium on June 14, with a reception following in the Great Hall of Flags.
Holden has lived in Peabody for nearly 40 years. She said her husband Chuck’s family has run a business in South Peabody for 100 years and the two of them raised their children in Peabody and attended local public schools.
“We are grateful for all that the community has offered in support to our family and our professional careers,” she said. “We hope to give back at least as much as we’ve received.”
Holden said being honored among the other honorees from across the Commonwealth was an “honor and privilege.”
“The atmosphere was warm, joyful and supportive. I am grateful to Rep. Tom Walsh for his consideration, and to our entire legislative team that is caring, visible, and committed in service to the North Shore,” she added.
Holden currently serves as the Board Chair of Citizens Inn in Peabody. She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Peabody and has served several years as District 7930 Managed Grants Chair. She also serves as Secretary of the North Shore Children’s Museum Advisory Board and as Secretary of the Friends of the North Shore Children’s Museum. She also serves as a board member and Past President of the Peabody Institute Library Foundation and served as library director from 2001-2017.
Tron is a retired U.S. Army First Sergeant who moved to Peabody in 2010. She served 32 years, from 1977 to 2008, in the Military Intelligence Corps and speaks Polish and Czech.
She currently serves as the VFW State Judge Advocate and is past Chair of the V.F.W. Women’s Veterans Committee.
“I was so thrilled that Rep. Sally Kerans had nominated me,” Tron said. “It’s very satisfying to know that the volunteer efforts and my support efforts for veterans across the state are recognized.”
She said she hopes she can serve as a role model for others to “enrich” the community.
“The work that we do in the VFW for veterans is ongoing. It’s outstanding efforts, and it’s done all by little old people like myself that make the community a better place,” Tron said.