Groton Open Space Association

GOSA Director Omar Allvord Receives Patriot Award

CITY OF GROTON–Omar Allvord, a director of the Groton Open Space Association, has received the Patriot Award from the Friends of Fort Griswold.

Mr. Allvord is a charter member of the Friends, and he served as its first secretary and later as president. Debra Dickey, current president, said, “He has always been willing to do what’s needed” for the group.

The award, presented only twice in the 11-year history of the Friends, is for “distinguished service to Country and Community and for exemplifying the goals and objectives of the Friends of Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park, Incorporated.”

Mr. Allvord, a WWII Navy veteran who saw duty on aircraft carriers in the North Atlantic, also has a distinguished environmental record. He was active in the effort to create the Bluff Point Coastal Reserve in 1974 and in the GOSA campaign that culminated in addition of 55 acres to Haley Farm State Park several years ago. He was GOSA’s treasurer for several years. He was a member of the Groton Town Council from 1970 to 1972.

The Patriot Award was presented to Mr. Allvord on May 21, 2006, at the Monument House Museum at Fort Griswold.

Mr. Allvord’s picture appears on the home page of GOSA’s website. The photo shows Mr. Allvord, then GOSA treasurer, and Priscilla Pratt, GOSA president, holding up a mock check for $650,000, symbolizing a grant GOSA had won to help acquire the 75-acre Merritt Property on Fort Hill.