George Markos was unable to attend the Lynn Firefighters Local 739 Awards Banquet in April so the firefighters thoughtfully brought the award to him.
Lynn Fire Lt. Sean Martin, union president of Local 739, and his colleagues presented their 2019 “Community Member of the Year” Award to Markos in a special ceremony at his well-known Brothers Deli Restaurant on Market Street.
Martin spoke about why Markos was so deserving of this major award.
“George goes above and beyond for us and for the community and it’s just a fitting tribute to recognize his efforts and what he does for everybody,” said Martin. “George is a man who doesn’t look for accolades or seek recognition, but we want to let him know that we recognize what he does and we appreciate it.”
Martin said Local 739 holds its annual Firefighters Memorial Sunday Breakfast at Brothers Deli.
“George and his staff have been hosting the breakfast as long as I have been a firefighter – for 16 years now,” said Martin. “We pay our respects to firefighters who have gone before us, and George is part of that tribute.”
Markos said he was humbled to receive the award from the firefighters’ union.
“I’m shocked because they do so much for people’s every-day lives in Lynn and I can’t believe I deserve an award like this,” said Markos, who was in Greece with his family when the awards banquet was held. “I give a little and they give me so much back.”
Lynn vocalist Amanda Mena happened to be at Brothers Deli during the award presentation. Mena praised Markos for his community service, stating,
“Mr. Markos is a great part of the community. I’m a student at St. Mary’s High School and many of us come here and it’s a great spot to be together and celebrate our community. Mr. Markos definitely deserves this prestigious award and I congratulate him.”
The “Community Member of the Year” Award is new to Local 739. The previous recipient was Mark Kennard of Project COPE in Lynn.