Selectmen Accept 'Generous' Gift of $24K, Memorial Monument from Foxborough Resident

Shortly before Vincent Gallivan passed away on Dec. 1, 1999, he had written a letter to the Foxboro Jaycees proposing a project to erect a monument in honor of the man the town is named after – Charles James Fox.

"[The monument] was a brain child of John Farrington of Summerfield in Cannon Forge but was adopted as a pet project by Vin just before his death," Vincent's wife, Joan Gallivan, wrote in a letter to the Board of Selectmen on July 30.

In the year after Gallivan's death, his friends and members of the Jaycees followed through on his "pet project" - fundraising for and erecting a monument of Fox.

"Some 13 years ago, long-time Jaycee members and other friends of Vin wanted to do something special for the town in his honor," Joan Gallivan wrote. "Vin was a former town official and active citizen and the monument was dedicated in his memory."

The monument portrays Fox, the British parliamentarian "for whom the town is named" after, according to Joan Gallivan.

"[The monument depicts] some of [Fox's] more notable statements regarding the American values of freedom and liberty," Joan Gallivan wrote.

After the monument was erected, it was placed in the back garden area of the Boyden Library. However, due to the expansion of the library this year, it had to be moved and found a temporary home on the front lawn of Town Hall.

On Tuesday, Joan Gallivan presented the town of Foxborough - through its Board of Selectmen - the monument and a fund of $24,000 to be used to find a permanent, and hopefully, prominent home for the memorial.

The $24,000 is from a fund that was established to raise money for the monument and in Vincent Gallivan's memory.

"I have requested the selectmen accept this fund as a gift and the monument, hopefully to be placed somewhere in or around a new Town Hall," Joan Gallivan said. "The intention [of this gift] is to have [the monument] be in a prominent place in town."

Joan Gallivan believes the money will cover a temporary (if needed) and a full move of the monument with funds left over for landscaping.

"There’s plenty of funds here to move it temporarily if something is going to be done with this Town Hall or move it permanently," Joan Gallivan said. "There’s money for landscaping around the monument and I believe there will be money left over to do other things with it. My thought would be to use it for beautifying the Town Hall grounds."

Town Manager Kevin Paicos encouraged the selectmen to accept Joan Gallivan's generous gift.

"It’s a beautiful monument and should have its place in a prominent position in town," Paicos said. "With a gift this generous, I don’t see there being any trouble in moving [the monument] or bringing it back and incorporating it into a design [of a new Town Hall] and all of that."

The board voted unanimously in favor of accepting the gift and thanked Joan Gallivan for her generosity.

"Joan, on behalf of the board, thank you," Board of Selectmen chair James DeVellis said. "It’s a tribute to Vin, a tribute to the people that worked on it and the Jaycees at the time and I’m sure we will find a special place."

Joan Gallivan asked as a condition of the gift that either herself or a family member be included as an advisor in determining where the monument will permanently be placed.

"I would appreciate a part as an advisor for use of the funds along with your town manager and Board of Selectmen, who can evaluate the best use of the funds and make recommendations for its use," Joan Gallivan wrote.