Medford Chamber Names Bates McGrath Citizen of the Year

For Andrea Bates McGrath, it's a case of "like father, like daughter" for which she could not be more proud.

The Medford Chamber of Commerce announced late last week McGrath, the president of Bates Insurance Agency on High Street, had been selected as the 2013 Chamber Citizen of the Year.

McGrath, a 1984 graduate of Medford High School, is a second-generation recipient of the honor. Her late father, Dan Bates, was given the honor in 1986, according to Chamber Executive Director Jodie Coyne.

Coyne said McGrath is the first second-generation recipient of the honor since its inception in 1971.

McGrath said getting the share the honor with her father is "absolutely phenomenal for me."

McGrath graduated from Suffolk University in 1988 and went to work for her father's insurance company shortly thereafter.

Coyne said McGrath was nominated, along with several others, for the honor this year and was chosen by a committee of Chamber members and past recipients.

"I was totally surprised," McGrath said of the moment she was informed she would be this year's recipient. "It's a really huge honor."

"She does a lot of the community, and has done a lot over many, many years," said Coyne of McGrath.

Coyne said McGrath is the type of community leader who does not seek recognition for the work she does in Medford.

A Kiwanian, McGrath currently administers three different local scholarship programs and administered the Chamber's scholarship in the past.

She's involved in the Kiwanis scholarship, a scholarship in memory of her father and a scholarship with the Mystic Wellington Yacht Club.

"It's very rewarding," McGrath said of her scholarship work. "It's something I've been doing for a long time."

McGrath resides in East Boston with her husband.

She'll receive a model ship in commemoration of her honor from the Chamber at their annual banquet April 4 at Montvale Plaza in Stoneham.