Massport Awards Annual Butler Memorial Scholarship

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today announced the recipient of the annual scholarship honoring the memory of Tommy Butler, the long-time Massport Director of External Affairs and lifelong South Boston resident. The 2025 Thomas J. Butler Memorial Scholarship was awarded to South Boston resident Erin Flaherty.

“Erin has made a tremendous impact on her community through her service,” said Massport CEO Rich Davey. “She has excelled academically and in her extracurricular activities and embodies the true spirit of Tommy Butler’s legacy.”

The Thomas J. Butler Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a student who resides in South Boston, is graduating from high school and has been accepted to an accredited college or university. Butler was the former mayor of the South Boston Boys Club, Youth Counselor and then Director of Little City Hall in Charlestown, former president of the South Boston Citizens Association and member of the South Boston Irish American Society. When he arrived at Massport in 1987 as a manager of intergovernmental relations, he was a licensed social worker who had worked in the Boston Juvenile Court, and for the City of Boston.

Flaherty is a graduate of Archbishop Williams High School and will soon attend Plymouth State University. She has volunteered her time at the Blue Hills Collaborative Center and has worked at the South Boston Catholic Academy after school program.

To be considered for the Thomas J. Butler Scholarship, students are required to have a minimum 3.0 grade point average and submit an essay of 1,000 words describing their career interests or how their community service has affected their outlook on life. In her essay, Erin wrote, “My community service experience helped me realize how important it is to give back. It also reminded me that healthcare isn't just about treating illness-it's about understanding people and being there for them in real, human ways.”

Applications are judged by a committee made up of Massport employees and a representative of the Butler family. Students interested in applying for the 2026 scholarship should visit www.massport.com for eligibility requirements.