Howard Messing Wins 9th Annual Cronin Award

At the beginning of the on Monday, Howard Messing was presented the Ninth Annual for his exceptional service on various boards in Westwood since the 1990s.

Messing said that he was surprised when he got initial word that he had been chosen for the award, and joked that he thought it must be some kind of mistake. But he said that he was as pleased as he was surprised.

“Of course I was pleased to get the recognition,” said Messing. “If anything can be taken from this, I hope I set an example for other people to step up and get involved.”

He added that in small towns like Westwood, getting involved in local boards and town government can make a big difference. He said that this is the only way to get things done, and he encourages the Westwood community to be involved.

Messing graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973 and began working at Meditech in 1974 as a programmer. He is currently the President and CEO of the company. Messing has lived in Westwood with his wife and two children for the past 21 years.

Messing has offered his expertise to Westwood in several areas, including assistance in hardware and software, as well as being instrumental in the town-wide geographical system. Messing has also encouraged real estate growth in Westwood and participated on the task force for the Office of Transportation.

In the 1990s, Messing served and was Chairman of the Information System Advisory Board. From there, he became a member of the Westwood Finance Commission in 1998, and later became the Chairman between 2004 and 2005.

Messing then became a member of the Business Development Advisory Board in 2005, and served as chairman between 2007 and 2008. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Science in Boston and remains active at MIT.

Nancy Hyde, Chair of the Board of Selectmen, said that the award was given to Messing because of his many contributions. She called him a “true leader” and valued the fact that he combines business and public service expertise. She said that the town is very fortunate to have him in the community.

“Howard is an outstanding recipient due to the years of dedicated service he gave to the town,” said Hyde. “He has served on the Information Systems Advisory Board, Finance Commission and Economic Development Advisory Board.  He demonstrated that he is also a leader, having also served as Chair at some point on all three boards.”

The John J.Cronin Award is presented each year to an individual who demonstrates exceptional service to the town, as Cronin was known for doing.

Cronin was a former Finance Commission member and longtime Town Treasurer who selflessly gave his time to make the community better. He did this as both an elected official and a volunteer within the community. He died 10 years ago, and since then the award has been given in his name.

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