BOSTON – 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 2024 Thomas J. Butler Memorial Scholarship was awarded to South Boston resident Marielle Rehm.

“Mari has made a tremendous impact on her community through her service,” said Massport interim CEO Ed Freni. “She has excelled academically and in her extracurricular activities and I know she will go on to achieve great things at Bridgewater State University.”

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.

Rehm is a graduate of Boston Latin Academy and will soon attend Bridgewater State University. She has volunteered her time at Miss Linda’s School of Dance, Tynan Community Center’s Youth Council and as a classroom aide at Boston Latin Academy.

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, Mari wrote, “I have become inspired to be a leader because of my involvement with all these groups and it has made me want to give back to this amazing community. If I didn’t have the access to all of these opportunities growing up, I would not be the person I am today and that is something I am extremely grateful for.”

Applications are judged by a committee made up of Massport employees and a representative of the Butler family. Students interested in applying for the 2025 scholarship should visit www.massport.com for eligibility requirements.

Image – Mari with Thomas Butler, Jr, son of Thomas Butler.