Boston resident Jeff Dunn’s motivation for purchasing the most-desirous of all of the Plymouth 400′s reserved commemorative license plates at last month’s auction – historic number 1620 – was both personal and political, and inspirational as well.
PLYMOUTH – Boston resident Jeff Dunn’s motivation for purchasing the most-desirous of all of the Plymouth 400′s reserved commemorative license plates at last month’s auction – historic number 1620 – was both personal and political, and inspirational as well.
“My family descends from Mayflower passenger Isaac Allerton on my mother’s side,” Dunn told the Old Colony after the auction. “Her maiden name was Sylvia Guild and one of her relatives was Aaron Guild, who is still depicted on the town seal of Norwood, Mass., dropping his plow in the field and leaving to fight the British on April 19, 1775.
“Mom was a loyal member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and she hung in my boyhood bedroom a lithograph of the Minuteman Statue with Emerson’s Concord Hymn inscription.”
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
their flags to April’s breeze unfurled,
here once the embattled farmers stood
and fired the shot heard round the world.”
That, Dunn said, was his mother’s “not-so-subtle reminder of the path that her ancestors had taken to help form the country. Its message: doing what is right often requires both courage and sacrifice. Dunn says he has never forgotten that.
“So I purchased this 1620 license plate is in memory of her, and that message of courage and sacrifice and all of my ancestors from Isaac Allerton forward.”
Dunn also admits that he sees the timeliness of that message in the present-day political environment.
“Now more than ever, it feels like a good time to remember the history and values that created our nation,” Dunn said.
Dunn is particularly concerned with the issue of immigration – which he believes is synonymous with America.
“We have always been a nation of immigrants,” he said. “The passengers on the Mayflower were the original immigrants. They came because they wanted freedom from religious oppression and a better way of life. That’s not so different from most people who immigrate today. As a Mayflower descendant, I am happy to support and celebrate the 400th anniversary of this voyage and remind folks of this story.”
Dunn has good words for the commonwealth, believing that what began in Plymouth changed the country and the world for the better.
“What makes the commonwealth of Massachusetts special among the 50 states is its historic role in the birth of our nation,” Dunn said.
“Democracy and property rights, unheard of in the world at that time, started right here in Plymouth. It is these individual rights that make America what it is,” Dunn said.
“This license plate series serves as a reminder to us all of the crucial role our state has played. The families that traveled aboard the Mayflower almost 400 years ago arguably changed the world more than any other 100 people in human history.”
Dunn is passionate about the story of the Mayflower, and believes the 400 Committee’s efforts are important to the town, the state and the country.
Dunn also was the top bidder for the plate with number 55.
The significance of the number 55?
“That’s the year I was born,” Dunn said.
Plymouth 400 wants to remind those interested in supporting the 400 committee’s efforts that standard 2020 Commemorative License Plates are still available for purchase through all Massachusetts RMV full-service branches or online at www.myplymouthplate.com. ; Those plates are also an important fundraiser for the organization. There is a $40 fee when purchasing those plates, and $28 of that fee goes directly to Plymouth 400. Each time the plate is renewed Plymouth 400 receives the full $40 fee.
Follow Frank Mand on Twitter @frankmandOCM.
