FOCCP Honors President and Husband

Special to the Regional Review

The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park’s (FOCCP) Bench and Tree Program celebrated lifelong Bostonian Robert H. Rines and FOCCP President Joanne Hayes-Rines with a ribbon-cutting on two benches in their honor.

Many friends and family were present for the ceremony, along with State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, FOCCP Vice President Ann Babbitt, and Tree and Bench Program co-chair MaryGaye Grizwin. 

“We are so proud to have Joanne Hayes-Rines as FOCCP President for the past 10 years,” MaryGaye Grizwin said. “She continues to lead with great dedication and commitment. We are honored to have benches dedicated to her and her distinguished husband, Bob Rines.”

Robert Rines, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 87, was a brilliant man whose contributions to science, health, law, and music will live on indefinitely. Bob was an intellectual property lawyer and founder of the Franklin Pierce Law School in New Hampshire, which is now the University of New Hampshire School of Law. A prolific inventor, Bob was inducted into America’s National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1994 for his ground-breaking work in ultrasound imaging and radar imaging. His plaque in Columbus Park recognizes his life’s work: “Scientist and Inventor Robert H. Rines. A Bostonian Who Changed the World.”

Joanne Hayes-Rines, who has lived in Boston since her marriage to Robert Rines in 1996, is dedicated to giving back to the community and making it a more beautiful place to live. As FOCCP President for ten years, she has worked with the City to improve Columbus Park and expand the events that bring the neighborhood together, including the Fall Festival, Independence Day Celebration, movie nights, lawn games, and many more. Joanne played an instrumental role in bringing much-loved fireworks back to Boston Harbor on New Year’s Eve.

Visit https://www.foccp.org/tree-bench-sponsorship, email Bench@foccp.org or call 781-639-6002 for information about how to celebrate a special person or event by sponsoring a bench or tree in Christopher Columbus Park.