Hank

In 2011, Hank Murphy's dad got sick. He was spending so much time and energy caring for his father Hank's wife worried about his own well-being and potential burnout. He started driving a shuttle for the Melrose Council on Aging to help people safely get to doctor appointments and run errands around town. The ability to help others in a part-time job was a productive distraction from his full-time role as caregiver.

Hank rarely uses GPS to navigate Melrose. He's been driving the shuttle four years and has lived in town for 37. Hank is a retired sergeant from the Department of Corrections. He enjoyed that work and he also enjoys spending time with Melrose's older population. "I get a lot of good advice out of these people," Hank said. "They're at the age where they just tell you the truth". 

When passengers get on Hank's shuttle, he changes the radio from his classic rock station to the oldies on WJIB 740 AM. "I just try and give them comfort and make sure they don't get hurt," Hank said. And some of them do the same in return. "When my father died, my phone was ringing off the hook." The same passengers that Hank looks after took time to call and offer their own comforting thoughts when he needed them. 

Hank Murphy, from left, helps Joan and Tom Maher into their building after picking them up at the YMCA.