New Museum Board Member: Michael Gropman
The old West End neighborhood was already gone by the time Michael Gropman was born, but it was a huge part of his father’s and his grandfather’s life. As such, like many things passed through the generations, Michael inherited an appreciation for the neighborhood and its rich history. He is now ready to pass that on to others as a member of the West End Museum Board of Directors.
Michael grew up in Brookline and has been a member of the police department there for nearly 30 years. He rose through the ranks to become a Captain and currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent of the Community Service Division. Michael’s father moved the family to Brookline when he earned a towing contract with the town. Some time later, his father made a good friend in Brookline’s then Police Chief George Simard. It was Simard who initially suggested that Michael look into at policing as a career.
“I didn’t know anything about law enforcement,” Michael said, having studied finance. “Then I learned it was a lot more than chasing bad guys. You were there to help people and make a difference.”
In addition to the guidance from his father and direction from Simard, Michael credits the summers he spent at the West End Camp with laying a foundation of the value of community and compassion. He said it was a chance to get away from the city – not only for the children who attended, but also for the generation that came before them, many of whom staffed the camp. The children spent a lot of time outdoors where they learned to swim and water ski, but more than that, they learned important and enduring life lessons.
Michael said his cousin, Reggie Bird, was another huge influence on his life. Reggie worked as a counselor at the West End Camp and was instrumental in teaching the younger kids the core values of West Enders: hard work, teamwork, discipline, respect, and the importance of communication.
“He was the greatest influence there, and in my life, to me and my brothers,” Michael said.
Some of those life lessons are part of what Michael hopes to bring to The West End Museum as a new member of the Board. He wants the Museum to work to spread those core values that made the old neighborhood so special and its former residents and descendants thrive.
“There is a remarkable resilience to the people of the West End,” Michael noted, adding that there’s a long list of highly successful people to come out of the neighborhood. He cited both Leonard Nimoy and Sumner Redstone – along with his own Uncle Alan – as examples. Alan Gropman is a decorated retitred US Air Force Colonel with an illustrious military career, including two tours in Vietnam where he flew more than 670 combat missions. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
Michael called the destruction of the old West End “one of the greatest miscarriages of eminent domain ever,” but quickly added that it’s time to see beyond that. He said the values that the hard-working immigrant families taught their children are just as important to teach today.
He credits Boston Mayor Marty Walsh with acknowledging the mistakes that Boston made in the past in the name of “urban renewal” that robbed some 10,000 people of their homes, friendships, and – for some – even family members. He said there is a great lesson in all of that.
“We want to move beyond what the city did to the West End,” he said. “We want people to take that message of hard work, community, and respect, and pass it on.”