At the age of 94, Leslie P. Tallarico is the latest recipient of Wilton’s Boston Post Cane.
The Boston Post Cane was gifted to communities across New England by the Boston Post newspaper, intended for towns to gift to the oldest man in town (the tradition eventually expanded to the oldest resident). More than 100 years later, many communities continue the tradition.
Tallarico accepted the cane in a ceremony during Old Home Days celebrations at Curtis Farm on Monday. Selectman Kermit Williams said Tallarico was the “perfect recipient” for the honor, due to his high level of involvement in town and his deep roots in Wilton.
“He’s somewhat of a young man, so we hope he’ll have the cane for a long time,” joked Williams.
Tallarico replied he’s shooting for 101.
“I just have to make it seven more years,” he said pragmatically.
In an interview Monday, Tallarico said he’s summered in Wilton from the time he was a child, and moved to the area permanently when he was 21. The only summer he’s spent away from town his entire life was in 1947, when he was serving in World War II with the 11th Airborne Division and was stationed in Japan.
His family has a long history in town. He is the direct descendant of Jonathan Livermore, the town’s first settled pastor, and his family tree also includes other early settlers, including the Kimballs and Batchelders.
Tallarico has left his own imprint on town, mainly through his work with conservation. In his professional life, Tallarico worked with the United States Department of Agriculture, assisting farmers in the Cheshire and Hillsborough counties. And privately, he spent more than 30 years on the town’s Conservation Commission, where he is still an alternate member.
Several years ago, Tallarico gifted 87 acres of farm and forest land around his historic home on Kimball Hill Road to the town, including the hayfield and apple orchard he once managed.
His other legacy was with him on Monday to see him receive the Boston Post Cane – four of his children, plus grandchildren and even a great-grandchild came for the occasion.
“So, there were four generations of Tallaricos there,” he said.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.