FPHL’s Sharon White, Dave Garabedian, Pat Heffernan and Kaye Heffernan Receive ALF Volunteer Awards

Sharon White, Dave Garabedian, Pat Heffernan and Kaye Heffernan of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses were presented with ALF Len Hadley Volunteer Awards during the American Lighthouse Foundation’s annual Gala, which was held at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine, on November 5, 2023.

Sharon White & Dave Garabedian

Sharon White has been a volunteer with Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses for 10 years; she is also a member of our Chapter Leadership Committee. Sharon lives in Nashua, NH which is about an hour long commute, but she volunteered at all but two of our Sunday tours this past season. Sharon always greets visitors in the watchroom with a smile and eagerly shares the wealth of knowledge she possesses about the keepers of our beautiful lighthouses. She loves to tell the stories of Joshua Card, as well as the last keepers at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, Elson and Connie Small.

As many of you can attest, a lot has changed for lighthouse organizations over the last few years. The way we are able to greet visitors now is by having scheduled private tours, and this past season would not have been as successful as it was without Sharon’s love and commitment to our organization, and the two lights we keep. Volunteers are what make the lighthouse preservation world go around, without them there would be no light.

We are pleased to honor Sharon White with a 2022 Len Hadley Volunteer Award!

Dave Garabedian has been a volunteer with Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses for almost nine years. Dave made a new home in the lantern room this past season. Visitors would come down from the lantern room after listening to Dave share the rich history of the beautiful Fresnel lens raving about how amazing he is. Dave spent countless hours in the lantern room, even on days where the temperature reached 100 degrees, and he was always happy to be there.

Dave was at almost every single Sunday tour this past season. In addition to Sunday tours, he volunteered when school groups came to the lighthouse. Dave went above and beyond as a volunteer this past season, performing not only tours, but assisting with cleaning and other projects around Portsmouth Harbor Light.

This past season would not have been as wonderful as it was without Dave’s dedication to our chapter and our beautiful lights. As stated earlier, volunteers are what make the lighthouse preservation world go around – without them there would be no light.

We are pleased to honor Dave Garabedian with a 2022 Len Hadley Volunteer Award!

Pat and Kaye Heffernan

The Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses is proud to recognize Pat and Kaye Heffernan, who have been tremendous volunteers and supporters of our chapter for years. This can really be considered a lifetime achievement award.

The only reason Pat and Kaye haven’t received this honor in the past is that they told us they didn’t want to be singled out in this way. But we’re giving it to them anyway, whether they like it or not.

Pat and Kaye’s history of volunteerism for Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses is long and varied. They have been involved since the early years of the chapter, back in the early 2000s. They both have volunteered at countless open house tours at Portsmouth Harbor Light. Pat has most often been the guide in the lantern room or at the base of the tower, charming visitors with his wealth of knowledge and good humor. Nobody loves a good pun more than Pat.

Kaye served as our so-called “gate keeper” during open houses many times over the years, keeping visitors happy and entertained as they waited for their turn to enter the lighthouse tower.

In recent years, we’ve done tours by reservation only. Pat has been a regular on the Friday evening tours, usually filling the vital position at the base of tower and giving visitors an overview of the rich history of our light station. Pat and Kaye have also volunteered for many tours for schools and other youth groups.

Pat has served on the Chapter Leadership Committee for many years, attending meetings in person and virtually. He has also volunteered countless times over the years to help with hands-on work like painting the lighthouse stairs or the walls in the watch room. Kaye has also pitched in on volunteer painting days.

Back in 2006, we needed funds to rebuild the footbridge to the lighthouse. Kaye and Pat came to the rescue, providing the needed funds. The money was donated in memory of her aunt, a Navy veteran who loved the ocean.

Pat is second generation Irish. For decades, he has played guitar and sung for the musical duo known as Shannachie, which means storyteller in Gaelic. Along with Patrick Keane, Pat has performed traditional Irish, folk, and maritime music all across New England. The duo performed on several albums over the years. A few years ago they released the album “Portsmouth Harbor Light,” which featured a song of the same name, chronicling the history of our beloved New Hampshire beacon.

Pat has lent his musical talents to many events and celebrations for our chapter over the years, including Family Weekends around the Fourth of July, our spring fling events, and on Maine Open Lighthouse Day, among others. Pat has always performed at these events as a volunteer, simply to support the organization and to entertain the public.

All of this may be impressive, but it doesn’t convey how important Pat and Kaye Heffernan have been to our chapter. Their consistent willingness to help, their unfailing good humor, and their all-around dedication to the cause can’t be overstated.

We are pleased to honor Pat and Kaye Heffernan with 2023 Len Hadley Volunteer Awards!