Riverdale Park is set to be renamed the Honorable Marie-Louise Kehoe Park after the Legislature passed a bill making the change on the last day of the just-concluded session.
The new designation honors Kehoe for her four decades - and counting - of public service.
A mainstay of Dedham politics, Kehoe served as state representative for the 11th Norfolk District from 1983 to 1995, and as a Dedham selectman from 1978 to 2008.
"I am honored and delighted," Kehoe said. "I enjoyed every day, and my mission was to help at least one person every day. I believe I've touched the lives of thousands of people in an effort to give assistance where assistance was needed."
Kehoe began her public service career with her election as a Town Meeting member in 1967. The following year she won a seat on the Planning Board and served there for a decade before moving to the Board of Selectmen.
Riverdale Park is on the banks of the Charles River along Riverside Drive. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation oversees the park as part of its Charles River Reservation.
The bill to name the park was sponsored by state Rep. Paul McMurtry, D-Dedham, and state Sen. Marian Walsh, the West Roxbury Democrat whose district includes Dedham.
Walsh served with Kehoe in the House of Representatives for four years, while McMurtry said, "For me it was very personal, because I now sit in the seat that (Mrs. Kehoe) once served in."
"It's a very appropriate honor for someone who has dedicated over 40 years of her life to serving her community," McMurtry said.
Walsh called Kehoe "a source of great pride to the Dedham community."
"She has selflessly devoted her life to bettering the lives of others, and for that, she is an inspiration to all of us," said Walsh.
Kehoe thanked Walsh, McMurtry, and selectmen Chairman James MacDonald for leading the park renaming effort. She and MacDonald worked together for 14 years.
"The entire sitting Board (of Selectmen) supported this effort, and that's important to me," Kehoe said.
During her years at the State House, Kehoe was instrumental in passing legislation mandating that POW and MIA flags be flown at municipal buildings in Massachusetts. She later led what she calls "a personal crusade" to create a monument for Dedham veterans from all branches of the armed forces. The monument was dedicated in Oakdale Park in 2001.
A piece of Dedham granite by the flagpole, which Kehoe donated, is dedicated to her husband, Edmund, who was a Marine.
Kehoe noted that Riverdale Park neatly ties into her interest in veterans affairs, as it sits just across the river from the West Roxbury VA hospital, allowing veterans to visit the park and spend some quiet time there.
McMurtry said the bill calls for the DCR to erect a sign and maintain Kehoe Park. A ceremony will likely be held in the spring when the weather is better, he said.
Kehoe noted that she left both the Legislature and the Board of Selectmen at times of her choosing.
But she is "still doing a good amount of constituent work," serving on several committees, including the Cemetery Advisory Committee, which she chairs. She is also on the board of directors at the Dedham Community House, and has long served on the board of directors at Faulkner Hospital.
"Marie-Louise Kehoe has given long and faithful service to our community, and while she continues to work on numerous committees throughout the town, I think it's really a tremendous testimony to her that this Riverdale Park is being renamed in her honor," said MacDonald.
Daily News staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.
