11 April, 2013
The Hopkinton Marathon Committee has selected family members of late Hopkinton residents Paul Phipps and Joe Pratt to fire the starter’s pistol for the second and third waves of the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.
“Since 2006, the B.A.A. has given the Hopkinton Marathon Committee the honor and privilege of selecting the starters for wave two and wave three of the Boston Marathon,” said Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace, chairperson of the HMC. “This year, the committee voted unanimously to choose members of the Pratt and Phipps families to honor Paul Phipps and Joe Pratt, who were involved in the marathon for many years and contributed so much to the town of Hopkinton.”
Brian Thomas will start the second wave in honor of his uncle Paul Phipps, while Tom Pratt will start wave three in his father, Joe Pratt’s, honor. Both Phipps and Pratt were lifelong Hopkinton residents and graduates of Hopkinton High School, then College of the Holy Cross. Both men were WWII veterans—Phipps survived Iwo Jima and retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a lieutenant, while Pratt served in the U.S. Army. Pratt, 93, passed away in October, and Phipps, 91, died in December.
Phipps founded and owned Paul M. Phipps Insurance Agency, Inc., still a thriving business in Hopkinton today. He and his wife, Ruth, were married for 69 years and had three sons, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was a member of the B.A.A. Board of Governors. He led countless organizations within Hopkinton, including the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce, which he founded, and Hopkinton Little League, which he helped to organize from the start.
Pratt worked as a local builder, farmer and insurance agent and served on Hopkinton’s finance committee. He was married to his wife, Mary, for 59 years and they had six children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Many of his connections to the Boston Marathon stemmed from his close friendship with Tom Brown, whose father and brother were both heavily involved in Boston sports, including the Boston Marathon.
Brian Thomas will fire the starter’s pistol at 10:20 to start wave two, and Tom Pratt will start wave three at 10:40.
