It is my honor to introduce to you two long-term Bristol residents as Chief Marshals for the 239th Fourth of

July Celebration.

The Mrs. Chief Marshal was born in Bristol where she attended Catholic schools and later graduated from our Lady of Fatima in 1974 and Katharine Gibbs in 1975. She moved to California where she raised her family, returning to Rhode Island in 1999. She was hired at Cox Enterprises and retired after 17 years as a Talent Acquisition Specialist.

 

She joined the Bristol County Elks Lodge in 2002 and immediately began serving as an officer. She first served as Exalted Ruler (Lodge President) in 2008, eventually serving for 4 terms. She continues to serve the Lodge as Chairman of different committees and is currently on the Board of Directors as a Trustee. 

 

She subsequently served the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks as District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler East in 2012-2013. She has served the Rhode Island State Association of Elks in numerous committee chair positions, was elected Vice President in 2020 and elected President serving in the 2022-2023. She continues to actively serve the Elks State Association and is currently the Chairman of the Past State Presidents Advisory Board and both the State Membership and Special Needs Committees.

 

She has also established a long-standing relationship with the Rhode Island Veterans Home and during that time
co-chaired for two years the Festival of Trees raising over $20,000 for the Veterans at the Home. She received the Commander’s Award for Public Service and from the family council, the Family Patriot Award, for her service to the
43rd Military Police Brigade during its deployment to Guantanamo Bay Cuba in 2002

 

In recognition of her countless hours of volunteering for the many Elks causes she was awarded the President of

the United States Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grand Lodge of Elks and numerous other citations for her

service. She also holds the title of Major General in the Rhode Island Militia. 

 

Her most treasured award: however, is spending the last 24 years living back in Bristol, which brings back the many cherished memories of her childhood. High on that list of memories are her fond memories of the 4th of July celebration and growing up in our beautiful town.

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The Mr. Chief Marshal was born at Fort Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania in 1952 while his father was deployed in the

Army during the Korean War. He was subsequently raised and attend schools in Michigan, graduating from Eastern

Michigan University in 1974 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics. Upon graduation he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army and entered active duty. Following his active-duty tour, he relocated to Massachusetts where he worked at Texas Instruments. 

 

Following his discharge from active duty, he joined the Rhode Island National Guard in 1980 and relocated to Rhode Island. This began a twenty-two-year career serving full time with the RI National Guard, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. His last assignment was his deployment with the 43rd Military Police Brigade serving as Commander of Joint Task force 160 in Guantanamo Bay Cuba in 2002. He retired from military service in 2006 after 32 years of service; 22 of those on active duty.

 

In 2001, he was selected to serve the State of Rhode Island as the Director of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery

in Exeter, which began a 19-year career until he retired in 2020. His last assignment with the State was the

Administrator for the RI Veterans Home, where he served for 12 years.

 

This Chief Marshal holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from URI and is a graduate if the United

Sates Army War College. He is a life member of several Veterans Organizations and served as the Commander of

the Disable American Veterans Chapter in Bristol for 5 years. He served as the Grand Knight of the Bristol

Council of the Knights of Columbus for 2 years and is a 22-year member. He has served as the Exalted Ruler of

Bristol Lodge of Elks for 2 years and is a 22-year member. He is a 22-year member of St Alban’s Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons in Bristol. 

 

During his career he has been recognized with numerous awards and citations including 3 awards of the Rhode Island Star, the highest peace time award the Governor can present. However, his most significant achievement was settling in Bristol, making this his home, and meeting all the people he came to call his friends.

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The two Chief Marshals met at the Fourth of July parade in 1982 and as fate would have it, again at the Fourth of

July parade in 1999. They were blessed to marry in 2000 and they immediately purchased a home in Bristol just in

time for the parade that year. She is a Bristolian and as she would say… he was lucky to marry a Bristolian! They

have 2 daughters and sons-in-law and are blessed with 4 grandchildren.

 

They both joined the Fourth of July Committee in 2000. She served as committee chair for both Flag Day and the

Fourth of July Ball. He has served on several committees and has become a lifetime member. 

 

In addition to the Fourth of July Committee, they both joined the Christmas Festival Committee and through the years took on leadership roles. She was Chairman of the Committee for multiple years, and he took on the positions of Treasurer and Secretary serving for twenty years. They were presented with the Spirit of Christmas Award in 2014.

 

One of the proudest accomplishments for both Chief Marshals was the raising of the RI State Elks Veterans Memorial Monument at the RI State Veterans Cemetery. This project started when he was the RI State Elks Association President in 2016 and after years of planning and fundraising, they were able to complete the project in her year as RI State Elks Association President in 2022.

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It is my honor to introduce the 239th Chief Marshal’s of Bristol Fourth of July Celebration Rick and
Patti Baccus.