Allan Appel Photo
Lawlor, at right, with family and admirers and the new plaque.
On Friday afternoon government department heads came out to pay her tribute and help dedicate a portion of City Hall to the city’s administrative “matriarch,” “mother,” “godmother” and even “fairy godmother” — those were just some of the sobriquets admirers had for her.
With Alder Ron Hurt.
The woman is question is Patricia “Pattie” Mauro Lawlor, age 79, who retired in October after 59 continuous years working for the city — beginning as an emergency fire dispatcher and finishing her career as a mayoral deputy chief of staff. (Click here to read a previous story about her career and retirement.)
Lawlor has been working for the city in some form since she graduated from James Hillhouse High School in 1959, starting her career as a dispatcher in emergency communications for the police and fire departments. She worked in the mayor’s office for 38 years under Mayors Biagio DiLieto, John C. Daniels, John DeStefano Jr., and Toni Harp.
With Alder Dolores Colon and Clarence Phillips, Jr.
Fifty people Friday filled the second-floor atrium of City Hall, which will now be officially named and plaqued as the Patricia Mauro Lawlor Second Floor Atrium Rotunda in recognition of her service.
“We are awestruck,” Mayor Harp said during a ceremony.
She termed Lawlor “a ground-breaking civil servant.”
Some of the scores of people whom Lawlor helped — like Jordan Johnson, whom she mentored as an intern helping to staff the Fresh Start re-entry program and is now poised to graduate from Southern Connecticut State University — thought of her simply as mom.
Or a variation on the term, which meant: the go-to person who knows where everything is, who can get along with the entire range of personalities that there are in the human race, and who can solve the problem at hand, without fuss or drama.
“After I became an alder, she gave me great nuggets of advice,” said Ron Hurt, who represents a portion of the Hill neighborhood. “One was, ‘Read everything.’ She’s the mom of City Hall.”
Lawlor gives her flowers to her sister Joan.
Lawlor said the key to her longevity — and the aspect she enjoyed most about her job — was “I like to help people, and everyone had problems.”
Clarence Edwards Phillips, Jr., arrived and gave Lawlor a big kiss. “That’s my girlfriend,” he declared. “She would go from department to department” solving a problem. “She needed a hovercraft. She ran everything.”
“I did use to feel like Dear Abby,” Lawlor said.
Morris Cove Alder Sal DeCola characterized the afternoon’s honoree as an exemplar of “living history.” He said more city employees should be honored for their service.
Lawlor said her retirement, now in its six month, has not been traumatic, although in the beginning “I missed the rush of work” and the satisfaction of being in control.
Her schedule had been to rise at 5 a.m., arrive at City Hall by 6:30, and stay till 7 p.m., she recalled. “But when you’re 78, it’s time to let younger people take over.”
What else has she been doing?
The answer: “Cooking.”
Any particular dish?
“I like to cook entire meals,” she said. “I should have been in the catering business.”
Many people, generations of them, officials and the regular folks of New Haven, are glad she made the decisions she did.
DeCola said the Lawlor plaque will be placed on the wall to the left of the landing at the top of the stairway, not far from her former office.