When he started volunteering at the Veterans Home of Chelsea 30 years ago, Manchester’s Bill Bell didn’t expect he’d ever be part of a high-profile ribbon cutting of a $200 million long-term care facility for vets with the Commonwealth’s gold set.
But there he was last month, shaking the hands of Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Executive Office of Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago.
“It’s by far the biggest thing I’ve been invited to in my life,” Bell said, adding that it was truly special for the Boston veteran community to have Sec. McDonough up from Washington, DC, to mark the day.
The newly rehabilitated facility—which changed its name from the Chelsea Soldier’s Home to the Veterans Home of Chelsea as part of the debut—promises to be a beacon of publicly funded gratitude for those who have served our country.
It’s a 154-bed, environmentally sustainable building that provides lots of natural light and panoramic views of downtown Boston and the harbor. It’s also a model structure, a big upgrade from the former facility with many amenities, including private rooms and shared spaces, a large rehabilitation room, and environmentally sustainable elements. The new Veterans Home is 100% fossil-fuel-free, powered by 145 geothermal wells and a rooftop solar array.
“The new Veterans Home in Chelsea is what our veterans earned and deserve,” Gov. Healey said.
Bill Bell is an Air Force veteran of the Falkland Islands and Granada and a familiar face at the Amaral Bailey American Legion Post 113 in Manchester. Military service runs strong in his veins. Bill’s older brother David served in the US Navy. Their father, Gordon S. Bell, Jr., was an Air Force veteran who served in Korea. Their grandfather, Gordon, Sr., was a Navy veteran of World War I, making the brothers third-generation servicemen.
Given this, it’s not surprising that by 17 Bill Bell knew he was destined for military service. Two months before graduation from Manchester High School, his Air Force recruiter traveled to Rockport to officially sign him up while Bell was at his work-study job at the Whistlestop Mall. Fast forward to mid-July, Bell was in active duty, completed basic training and then shipped out for service to Incirlik Air Base in southeast Turkey.
After he was discharged, Bell slipped easily into life in Manchester and the Legion. This included joining his brother Dave to help with the Manchester Legion’s annual Tuck’s Point picnic for residents at the Chelsea Soldier’s Home (as it was called then), giving the vets a taste of the coast and boat rides around the harbor. In 1993, Bell led a Legion fundraiser that raised $500 to purchase a set of parallel bars for stroke patient rehabilitation there. Later that year, Bill was all in, signing on as an official volunteer and making the weekly trek to Chelsea to work under Irma Vanderpool, longtime recreation director at the facility.
Maybe it was a coincidence or maybe it was planned, but Bill’s first one-on-one visit 30 years ago was with a 103-year-old man from Essex, William Dobson.
“He used to tell me stories about how they’d move houses into Manchester through the snow by ox-drawn carts,” Bell laughs.
Bell has plenty of road ahead in his journey to support veterans, but that doesn’t mean he can’t look back at some highlights of the last 30 years. Like how, back in 2001, the actor Danny DeVito surprised veterans by showing up at the Tuck’s Point picnic to thank them for their service. Or the fact that for 20 years he has served as the appointed MVS Rep (veteran advocate) for the Commander of the Massachusetts American Legion. Currently, Sandra Davis, who happens to be from Gloucester’s American Legion Post 3, holds that position. And then, of course, there’s the long chapter of his volunteer service in Chelsea, where he is a familiar and friendly face to all.
In October, the facility received the green light to open from state public health agencies and certification by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and welcomed the first 22 residents. By December’s ribbon cutting, 20 more residents had moved in. By the end of 2024, the facility will be fully occupied.
Bell said the roughly 40 residents now living on the 6th floor of the facility are in rooms that overlook the dramatic expanse across Boston and the harbor, and that’s treatment they deserve. Three of these residents, he said, have been at the Veterans Home for more than 20 years.
And at the ribbon cutting, there was a welcome for the latest group of residents returning to their new, swanky home. One, a veteran of Korea, Pasquale Pizzaerella, was the very first resident to be ushered in at the December event, and a large group of volunteers greeted him.
Bill Bell was right there in the center, standing tall and greeting Mr. Pizzaerella with a salute.
