Hundred Club of Massachusetts Co-Founder Posthumously Honored with Community Hero Award from Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts
BRAINTREE — The Hundred Club of Massachusetts is proud to announce that the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) has established the Norman Knight Community Hero Award in recognition of one of the organization’s co- founders, and has posthumously named Knight as the inaugural recipient.
Knight, a renowned Boston media executive and philanthropist who dedicated his life to helping others, co-founded The Hundred Club of Massachusetts in 1959 with the mission that no firefighter or police officer who died while protecting the public would ever be forgotten. He served without compensation as Chairman of the Board and President for over 50 years.
Knight passed away on March 9, 2024, at the age of 99.
At its 46th Biennial Convention in June, PFFM surprised The Hundred Club by establishing the Norman Knight Community Hero Award. PFFM recognized a need for a meaningful way to acknowledge the extraordinary individuals and organizations who dedicate their time, resources, and support — both emotional and financial — to its members and their families.
In addition to his work with The Hundred Club, Knight was a founding board member of the Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial and played a key role in establishing the firefighters’ memorial outside the Massachusetts State House. He also personally funded the installation of two hyperbaric chambers at Mass Eye and Ear after a Boston firefighter once had to be flown to Connecticut for treatment due to the lack of local resources.
Recognizing that bestowing an honorary award would be the highest form of respect and gratitude that PFFM could offer to a civilian, delegates at the convention voted to establish the Norman Knight Community Hero Award. It will be reserved for individuals or organizations that provide the highest level of support to PFFM and its members and families.
“Norman Knight helped thousands of families, not just through the establishment of The Hundred Club, but through his donations of lifesaving equipment like the state’s first hyperbaric chamber that has helped firefighters and other patients, and as founder and first president of the state’s only firefighters’ memorial,” said Rich MacKinnon Jr., President of PFFM. “So when the opportunity arose to establish an award for a civilian who goes above and beyond for the fire service, there was no other name to call it than the Norman Knight Community Hero Award.”
In creating the award, PFFM posthumously named Norman Knight as its first recipient.
“We are deeply honored and moved by the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts’ decision to establish the Norman Knight Community Hero Award in memory of one of our founders,” said Tracie A. Hines, executive director of The Hundred Club. “This recognition came as a wonderful and unexpected surprise, and it’s a touching reminder of Mr. Knight’s enduring legacy of compassion and service.”
About The Hundred Club of Massachusetts
No police officer or firefighter who dies — whether in the line of duty or not — should ever be forgotten. Since 1959, the Hundred Club of Massachusetts has been the state’s wholly dedicated charity supporting the families of our fallen heroes. The Hundred Club gives an unequivocal and unconditional promise to police officers and firefighters in Massachusetts that in the event they are killed — on or off duty — we will remain with their families, compassionately caring for them for the rest of their lives, ensuring that their sacrifice is never forgotten. The Hundred Club of Mass., Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization.