A group of students who attended the old West Junior High School wanted to honor their former principal, Jack Burns, and decided to pay for a plaque at the middle school.
Earlier this month June Ford and Mike Younger, who attended West Junior High from about 1975-77, appeared at the School Committee’s Building and Grounds Subcommittee and Ford made an emotional plea for permission to install the plaque.
“You were never a number for him. He cared about you,” Ford said. “He not only cared about you as a student, but as a person.”
Burns also worked in real estate, and Younger said he gave him good advice when he was starting out in the business.
When news of Burns’ death came out last fall, there was a great outpouring on the “You Know You’re From Watertown If……” Facebook group. That’s when the effort started to get the plaque installed at Watertown Middle School.
The Subcommittee approved to accept the donation of the plaque.
Ford said she plans to have a dedication ceremony after the plaque is in place.