Posted by Steve Kaity on May 09, 2023
The Gloucester Rotary has named Tracy Arabian as a Paul Harris Fellow, the prestigious award named after the Chicago lawyer who founded Rotary in 1905. Tracy was selected by a committee of previous recipients of the award and will be honored at a special dinner on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at Cruiseport Gloucester, located at 6 Rowe Square in Gloucester. The social hour will begin at 5:30pm, followed by dinner at 6:30pm. 
 
Tracy Arabian was born and raised in the southwest U.S. The daughter of a career Marine, Tracy grew up in southern California, Hawaii, and Arizona—graduating from high school in Phoenix, Arizona. She then joined the U.S. Army, where she was trained as a Russian linguist. Her seven years in the service saw her stationed in Missouri, California, Texas, Washington DC, Kansas, and Berlin, Germany. 
 
Tracy married a fellow soldier she met in Berlin and moved to Gloucester, where she was welcomed warmly into the large Gloucester Doucette/Jenkins/Klopotoski/Arabian family. Tracy fell in love with the Cape Ann area quickly. In 1997, she accepted a position at the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and learned firsthand the importance of community service. She met business leaders who commit to the betterment of their community through their service as little league coaches, scout leaders, Chamber volunteers, members of local service organizations, and more. Tracy now works at SeniorCare, a non-profit human services agency that serves nine communities on the North Shore. 
 
Tracy was heavily involved in the planning of the annual Gloucester Schooner Festival for several years, first as a part of her job at the Cape Ann Chamber and, later, as a consultant and volunteer when Maritime Gloucester took the festival helm ten years ago. Tracy joined the Gloucester Rotary in 2011 and has been very involved since that time. She has volunteered in the Rotary Youth Leadership Award program, working with high school student mentors in developing and running a leadership training weekend for underclassmen; the Gloucester Polar Plunge for the eradication of polio held annually at Long Beach; trivia fundraising events, and the marketing of Rotary both locally and statewide. Tracy was the Gloucester Rotary President last year (2021-2022) and will be co-President next year (2023-2024). 
 
Tickets to the Paul Harris Dinner are $53 per person and may be reserved by contacting event chair Steve Kaity at 978-879-1051. The dinner is open to the general public, and friends and colleagues of Tracy are encouraged to attend. To learn more about the Gloucester Rotary, visit www.gloucesterrotary.org or follow the group at www.facebook.com/RotaryGloucesterMA