The West End Museum 2021 Honorees Night

The West End Museum will host its third annual Heritage Night on Friday, Nov.12, at 6:30 p.m., honoring three people who have made a deep and meaningful impact on the neighborhood over the decades.

This year’s honorees are State Rep. Jay Livingstone, City Councilor Kenzie Bok and Donald Zerendow, who passed away in July 2021.

Livingstone and Bok represent the West End and have been instrumental in brokering an agreement between the community and Massachusetts General Hospital, as MGH moves to demolish several West End buildings.

“They’ve both taken the West End’s interests seriously and have provided support for The West End Museum as we work to preserve the history and memory of the neighborhood,” said Sebastian Belfanti, The WEM director.

Zerendow was born and raised in the West End and went on to an illustrious career as one of the state’s leading healthcare attorneys. He served as chief of the Massachusetts Medicaid Fraud Unit and was also elected president of the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

Zerendow was an early founder of the Old West End Housing Corporation, whose mission was to develop affordable housing for former West End residents displaced by the urban renewal of the 1950s. He also helped launch The West End Museum.