17 April, 2022
In honor of Patriots’ Day, the Hopkinton Marathon Committee (HMC) will honor three U.S. veterans at the start of the Boston Marathon. The three gentlemen to be honored are Art Brooks (U.S. Navy), Paul Culliton (U.S. Marine Corps), and Ben Tomlin (U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force).
HMC chairperson Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace started the tradition of honoring veterans at the start of the Boston Marathon. “We’re honored to recognize our local veterans and to acknowledge the sacrifices they made to serve our country,” she said. “I enjoy watching the veterans stand on the starters’ platform each year as they are introduced. It’s especially moving to watch their pride during the singing of the National Anthem.”
Art Brooks served in the U.S. Navy from 1961-65, training first at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in electronic technology, then being stationed for two-and-a-half years in Japan, where he primarily repaired radios, televisions, and radar. The Jefferson, New Hampshire native moved to Massachusetts after his honorable discharge and attended the Franklin Institute in Boston, then University of New Hampshire. He settled in Hopkinton in 1978 and used the skills he learned in the Navy during his long career at Raytheon, then Digital. He and his wife raised three children in Hopkinton and have five grandchildren. One son, Evan, works as a Hopkinton Police dispatcher. Though Brooks hs not run the Boston Marathon, he used to run as a child and competed in some two-mile races while in the service. He also completed a 34 mile run on board a ship and ran 50 miles from one base to another in Japan.
Paul Culliton served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966-70, active duty, then in the Reserves from 1970-88. He trained as a radio/crypto technician. After being stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, he was sent in 1968 to VietNam, where he was wounded during the Tet of 1969 offensive. He was later stationed at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina for the rest of his enlistment. He stayed in the Marine Reserves and became the Regimental Communications Chief for the 25th Marines in Worcester, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant in 1988. Following active duty, he worked for the New England Telephone Co. from 1971 until 2002 as a Special Services Technician installing and maintaining data and computer services. He also worked as a part-time Special Police Officer for Hopkinton Police Dept. from 1985 to 2018, and now as a Deputy Sheriff for the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office. Culliton was born in Hopkinton then raised in Framingham. After he and his wife, Joan, were married in 1970 at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, they returned to Framingham but then moved back to Hopkinton in 1977.
Their four children all graduated from Hopkinton High, the last one in 2001. They now have six grandchildren–five granddaughters and one grandson.
Ben Tomlin grew up in Hopkinton and graduated from Hopkinton High School in 1962 before enlisting in the U.S. Army, completing Basic Training at Fort Dix then Heavy Equipment Training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was stationed in Korea as a construction engineer, building road and missile silos. He then moved to the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois and Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, performing field maintenance at weather stations. He worked on advanced electronics in Germany before receiving a hardship discharge for family health issues. Upon his return to the U.S., he continued to work as a civil engineer in the Reserves. He was involved in Desert Storm then retired in March of 1995 as a Chief (E-9), the highest enlisted rank in the military.
The Hopkinton Marathon Committee was established in 1979 to work in conjunction with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), the organizers of the Boston Marathon, to ensure that the annual running of the race is an exciting, successful and safe event for all concerned. Committee members contribute their efforts throughout the entire year to the planning, organization, and coordination of multiple facets of the race, working to protect the best interests and welfare of the town, its residents, businesses and visitors.
